Let's Get This Started
by nevershoutnever
Summary: A new school year...Edward is no longer the short, pudgy boy, Rosalie returns after a failed modeling career, popular girl Alice finally notices outcast Jasper, star athlete Emmett loses his scholarship to Duke, and Bella wants to shed her good girl image
1. Chapter 1

Jasper's Point of View

The bell rang. It was official. School was starting in exactly five minutes. And I wasn't ready at all.

I groaned. Spending nine, entire months stuck in a room with a bunch of kids I didn't know or care about wasn't my idea of fun. But here I was in my car, parked in the student lot, just sitting, waiting, avoiding.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the review mirror. I groaned, annoyed at what I saw staring back at me. I hated how I looked; I blamed my looks for why I had always been an outcast, why I had always been hated, envied, and judged by others who knew nothing about me. It wasn't that I was hideous or ugly; to be honest, it was the exact opposite.

I was attractive, _too_ attractive perhaps, and maybe, just maybe, that was even worse than being ugly. I inherited my good looks from my parents, James Whitlock and Alise Archibald. Maybe you've heard of them? My father, the quintessential actor turned director, starred in several hits in his day and started directing movies rather than acting in them when he was asked continuously to play the role of the father instead of the young, strapping son. My mother is a woman of many talents; she acts in all types of movies, television shows, and Broadway musicals, directs occasionally, teaches classes at UCLA, and designs for her own fashion label. My face resembled both of theirs remarkably; I have my mother's eyes, mouth, and ears and my father's nose, chin, and hair. I suppose, when people look at me, all they can see are my parents and their accomplishments, which make them believe I was different, and better, than everyone else. They expected me to be a little bit of everything _and_ more. But I was only me, introverted and awkward, and a disappointment to all of those who I met. Needless to say, I remained alone, an outcast.

As I slumped lower in my seat, dwelling on those thoughts, I caught a glimpse of a yellow Porsche speedily parking in the space directly behind mine in the rearview mirror. Without even seeing the driver, I already knew who it was; hell, _everyone_ knew who it was: Alice Brandon, head cheerleader, student body president, and all around nice girl that guys wanted to date and girls wanted to be.

I turned my head in the direction of her car just in time to see her boyfriend, star of the football, basketball, and baseball team, Emmett, open the bright yellow car door and hold out a gigantic, muscled hand to her. She placed her delicate hand into his and leaped out of the car, elegantly.

I looked away for a few moments; she was more beautiful than I had remembered. She was absolutely and undeniably breathtaking. Her face was shaped like a heart, wider near her light grey eyes, slowly tapering down to a pointy chin. The features in between were angular, yet soft and feminine at the same time: perfectly arched and shaped eyebrows, prominent high cheekbones, a pointy nose, delicate red lips, and dimples. Her dark, glossy hair, contrasting with her pale skin, was cropped short, cut perfectly to accentuate her great bone structure. She was small and thin, almost pixie-like, and beneath the five foot mark.

I sighed. From the moment I had seen her, I was completely and irrevocably in love with her. The only problem was she had no idea that I existed. And, as I watched her skip away, smiling enthusiastically, at her giant of a boyfriend, whose arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, I realized she never would.

Slipping my aviators on, I slumped even lower, pouting, still debating whether I was going to leave or not. I turned my head and watched people walk by outside my window with their faces parallel to the ground, backpacks slung over their shoulders. I tapped my foot, anxiously, trying to decide.

The whole "socializing" aspect that was expected, especially the first day, when it was an unwritten law to ask everyone what they've been up to, no matter how much you don't want to know, was physically and mentally draining for me. I could do without all the fake smiles.

I groaned, my third groan in the past three minutes, as I opened the front pocket of my faded messenger bag. After shuffling through empty candy wrappers, random hall passes from last school year, "excused absence" notes, a deck of playing cards, and a carton of Marlboros, I finally found what I was looking for, my schedule. I pulled the paper closer to my face. My eyesight was crap.

I sighed. My schedule wasn't as bad as I hoped. My counselor, Mr. Hodges, knew me too well. He purposely placed the two classes I didn't need to pass for graduation, after lunch because he knew that, unlike everyone else at school, I went to lunch after fourth period, but never came back for fifth. He had also put me in the easiest courses available; I had heard from past seniors that Rosemary was a pushover, Stevens was too preoccupied with her divorce to care about teaching, White's class watched videos all year long, and Patterson, if distracted properly, could talk the whole class period about politics.

Before I could change my mind, I pulled my key out of the ignition and grabbed my backpack and jacket from the passenger seat where it was thrown carelessly. I sucked in a deep breath of air and flung my door open.

As soon as I stepped outside, the sun hit me, glaring down at me. I looked up and glared back. I turned back towards my door, locking it, so much for automatic locks, and slammed it.

"What a week to quit smoking," I grumbled to myself as I ruffled through the contents of my backpack, only stopping when my hand wrapped around the carton of cigarettes I always kept in my backpack, just in case. I stealthily slid a cigarette from the carton without a second thought, popped it into my mouth greedily, and lit it the good, old fashioned way, with a match. When I heard footsteps nearby, I quickly ducked my head into the open window of my car, pretending to look for something.

"You're not fooling anyone, Whitlock," a voice declared, several feet away from me.

I was ready to defend myself already with an introduction of the name, which usually released me from any kind of trouble I found myself in, but if for some reason, this plan did not work, I was ready to pull my parents into this, promising a new library or biology lab or something. God knows they could afford it.

I groaned as I stood up, straightening my back, and turned towards the voice with a rather annoyed look on my face. I ran a hand through my messy blonde hair while dangling my cigarette from the other carelessly. The man standing before me was unfamiliar, too young to be an administrator and teacher, but I hadn't seen him around before and trust me, in Forks, everyone knows _everyone_.

"Do I know you?" I asked, uneasily, as I tried to figure out who he was exactly although he seemed to know who I was. He strolled up to me with an air of confidence, plucked the cigarette from between my fingers, and leaned back against my car, smoking _my_ cigarette.

He rolled his green eyes and looked at me, incredulously, as if waiting for me to finally put the pieces together and remember who he was. After a few moments, he broke the awkward silence, "It's me…Edward, remember?"

My eyes widened in disbelief. This man in front of me wasn't Edward…or, at least, not the Edward I remembered. Edward was a short, pudgy boy that looked the age of thirteen. His round, emerald eyes were always too small behind his glasses, his beaklike nose seemed mismatched to his soft face, and his mouth consisted of two thin lines, one side higher than the other. No, no, this guy couldn't be Edward. This guy was, well, good looking…extremely good looking. He had tousled, bronze hair with piercing green eyes, a distinct nose, and a strong chin. But his mouth was set in a familiar, crooked smile. No, it couldn't be.

Edward was the shy, quiet boy, who shared three classes with me last year: Calculus, Physics, and Music Appreciation. In fact, Edward had helped me pass Music Appreciation because although I love music, I guess I didn't appreciate it much. He was the closest thing I could call a friend, I guess you could say. Sometimes, he would ditch school with me during lunch and we would go anywhere and do anything we wanted, but most of the time, he sat in the band classroom and played piano. No, this guy isn't Edward. He couldn't be…or could he?

"Don't you look different," I finally muttered as I stole my cigarette back from him and took a drag. "Where the hell did you go this summer?"

Edward shrugged before replying uselessly, "Around." He flashed me a devilish smile before placing his hands firmly on the trunk of my car and easing himself onto it.

"Mainly Mexico," he clarified. He shifted his eyes towards me. "Habitat for Humanity."

I nodded my head, knowingly. _Of course_, he would spend his summer in Mexico building homes for underprivileged, low income families. After all, he was ranked number one in the senior class; he had to keep up appearances. "At least one of us did something productive this summer. All I did was attend Hollywood parties with my parents."

"Sounds _so_ terrible." I heard a hint of sarcasm in his voice. No question about it; this guy had to be Edward. No one could use sarcasm as well or as subtly as he could.

I discarded my used cigarette onto the ground and, without another thought, pulled out another and raised it to my lips.

Edward raised an eyebrow at me, suspiciously. "How many packs do you smoke a day?"

I knew what was coming next. I took one, long drag from the cigarette before answering. "I don't know. Maybe two packs."

"Two packs?" I could hear the concern in his voice. I hated it when he was concerned; he acted more like a mother sometimes than a friend.

"Get off my back, will you?" I said, half jokingly, as I shoved him lightly. "It's the first day of school. I'm stressed."

"Okay, okay." He cocked his head to one side, checking the time on his watch. "We're already eight minutes late to class. Let's go."

With a flick of my fingers, the cigarette fell to the ground where I promptly stepped on it, twisting my foot back and forth. I leaned into the open window of my car, grabbing the strap of my messenger bag, and pulled it over one shoulder with ease. "Promise me this."

I looked at Edward, who was adjusting the straps on his backpack, before continuing. "Remember me when you're hanging out with Alice and Emmett, okay?"

Edward laughed, heartily, as we started to walk in the direction of Forks High School. "Sure. Like that will ever happen."


	2. Chapter 2

So, I'm totally new at this whole thing and I'm probably doing everything wrong so sorry about that. I'm really lame when it comes to technology. :(

But I'm glad everyone (well, maybe not everyone, but hopefully a vast majority) so far has enjoyed it. I was really, really afraid of putting anything on here for the longest time, but I am so happy I finally did. My confidence as a writer has definitely gone up and I promise I will update as fast as I possibly can.

Oh, and another thing, I'm not really sure that _everything _in the summary is actually going to happen. I wrote that to entice you to come and read (sorry if that was misleading!), but I will try to incorporate everything I can from the summary, but if I feel the story is going in a different direction, then...

One more thing! It's the last thing I promise. If you want to see anything happen in the story, I am totally open to suggestions. I can't promise that I will use all, or any, of them, but I will definitely take them into consideration while writing. I want to throw in a couple of surprises :) So, enjoy...

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Rosalie Point of View

I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't _believe_ it. After spending two and a half years in Europe modeling for Calvin Klein, Juicy Couture, and Burberry (just to name a few), somehow, some way, I ended up at Forks High School. FORKS HIGH SCHOOL. A teeny, tiny, good-for-nothing shack beside the highway. What a gigantic step backwards.

"Now, now, class. Settle down. The bell rang." Mrs. Rosemary, I'm assuming, a small, fragile looking woman with large glasses and shaking hands, attempted to calm down the uproariously talkative class without success. She rocked back on her heels, apprehensively, while wringing her hands and tried again, "Class, come to order!"

Her shrill voice cut through the chatter of the class and everything grew quiet. I gritted my teeth together as I imagined all of the things I could be doing in Europe. I could be strolling by the Eiffel Tower with a cup of coffee in my hand. I could be posing for Nigel Barker in stunning, _expensive _clothes in the Roman Coliseum. I could be…

"Hey, hey, hey. Look who's back." Oh, no. I shifted my eyes to the left to see Emmett McCarty take the empty desk next to me, a huge smile on his face. He shrugged his backpack off of his shoulder effortlessly onto the floor between our desks.

During my two and a half year absence, he hadn't changed at all, physically...or emotionally. He was still tall and muscular, so muscular that I was willing to bet he couldn't touch his own shoulders. He had dark, curly hair with matching mischievous brown eyes and dimples. He looked rather frightening and intimidating, but I knew him better than to believe he was either of those things for one moment.

"Oh God." I hung my head, hopelessly, another year with Emmett. Great. I thought I would be rid of him forever when I went to Europe. Apparently, I was wrong…very wrong. I didn't try to hide the irritation in my voice. "How did you find me here, Emmett?"

He winked at me with a large grin. "There are seventy classrooms here. I took a lucky guess." He leaned back in his chair and took a quick glance around the classroom. "You're the only pretty girl in here."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I demanded, jabbing him in the chest with my index finger. He did have a girlfriend, actually; I knew that for a fact. I saw the two of them walking together down the hallway, hand-in-hand, a giant and a midget.

Emmett feigned pain, holding his hand to his chest dramatically, with a frown on his face. It would have fooled me if I didn't see the mischievous twinkle in his eye. After only a few moments, he dropped the act and leaned forward, closer to me, with a smile spreading across his face, "The question is: do you have a boyfriend?"

I glowered at him, thrusting my chin into my hand, without answering. "I hope these seats aren't permanent."

"Hale…Rosa?" Mrs. Rosemary stammered and peeked around the classroom as if waiting for someone to jump out and scare her.

Rosa? Rosa! Rosa?! I clenched my fist underneath my desk, trying to hide the anger that was raging inside of me. How hard was it to say: Rose-a-lee? Sound it out with me. Rose-a-lee. Honestly, it isn't that difficult. What an idiot.

I cleared my throat, arrogantly, before correcting her, "It's Rose-a-_lee_, actually." I thrust my hand in the air, annoyed already, after watching Mrs. Rosemary scan the classroom, unsuccessful, looking for me.

"Oh, Rose-a-_lee_," she repeated, nodding her head in my direction. She scribbled a note on her roll sheet with a flick of her wrist. She pulled the roll sheet closer to her face, adjusting her glasses, trying to read the next name. "Jackson…"

"So, Rose-a-_lee_," Emmett whispered, glancing towards Mrs. Rosemary to make sure she wasn't listening as I grimaced at his over pronunciation of my name, "this year is gonna be so much fun. I heard Mrs. R is a total pushover."

I rolled my eyes without looking away from the front of the classroom. Maybe if I ignored him, he would eventually take the hint and stop talking.

Emmett followed my stare, then returned his attention to me. "Tonight my girlfriend is having a party…"

I had forgotten that Emmett was all brawn and no brain. He could never take a hint. Even if I ignored him every day for the rest of the year, he would still continue to talk to me. It wouldn't hurt me to try. "So you _do_ have a girlfriend."

"I never said I didn't." Emmett grinned as he leaned back in his chair, his hands folded behind his head. It was a surprise to me, and everyone in the class, that he didn't break the chair into a billion pieces.

"McCarty, Emmett?" Mrs. Rosemary called out, pushing her glasses higher onto her pointy nose.

Emmett rotated his body to face the front of the classroom and raised his hand high. "I'm right here, Mrs. R. You can call me Em."

Mrs. Rosemary acknowledged his hand with a quick nod of her head and went onto the next name.

"So, where was I, Rose-a-_lee_?" Emmett asked as he turned to face me, a smile spreading across his face at the anger that was spreading across mine.

"Your girlfriend's party, Em-a-_lee_," I spat, my eyes flickering to the doorway where a tall, lean figure was entering the room. My eyes widened as the sunlight hit his face. He looked like a glamorous movie star from the 1940s and 50s with a strong chin and a perfect jaw line. His nose was perfectly proportioned to his face although pointy and a little crooked. His lips were soft and luscious, from what I could tell, taunting every girl within a fifty foot radius. His golden blonde locks shimmered in the artificial lighting falling perfectly on his face, almost covering his stunning eyes, which were a brilliant shade of blue, deep and bottomless like the ocean. He was tall, around 6'3, and lean with hints of muscle in all of the right places. He was beautiful, well, not as beautiful as me, of course, but pretty damn close.

"Whitlock, Jasper?" Mrs. Rosemary squeaked, catching sight of the man strolling towards her.

"That's me," he replied with a lazy smile and sat down in the desk two rows in front of mine, gently placing his messenger bag on the floor.

I sighed, happily. Maybe Forks High School wasn't _so_ bad after all.

"I hate that kid," Emmett scoffed, glaring at Jasper, who was taking one of the syllabi and passing the others behind him.

"I hate you," I hissed, planting a charming smile on my face. I grabbed the stack of syllabi from the girl in front of me and passed it back. I didn't care to take one; I never followed the rules anyway.

"So, about my girlfriend's party tonight…" Emmett's attention was as easily diverted as a puppy's, not to mention he was as dumb as a pole. "You should come. It's at eight."

When I didn't respond, Emmett went on with a mock condescending tone in is voice, "I know you will have a pretty difficult time finding a date to the party, Rose-a-_lee_, so feel free to invite anyone you can find."

My eyes narrowed as I snapped, "Okay, Em-a-_lee_. I will."

As I spoke those words, I had a revelation, an epiphany, if you will. I _would_ go to Emmett's little party tonight, just to piss him off, and I knew the perfect person who would serve well as my date and help along the goal of pissing Emmett off. I smiled wickedly; I was _good_, too good.

"Hey, Whitlock," I whispered, using the most seductive voice I could. All heads in the classroom turned in my direction, including his, and I smiled, deviously. I've still got it. "Be my date to Emmett's little party tonight."

I could hear Emmett smacking his hand to his forehead, muttering to himself a slew of curse words. I allowed my eyes to flash quickly to his face, which was turning bright red. I couldn't help but chuckle at the image; he had done this to himself the instant he had called me Rose-a-_lee_.

Confusion crossed Jasper's pretty face and before he had the chance to answer, the bell rang. As I walked up the aisle, passing his desk, I leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Pick you up at eight."

I didn't look back to watch the expression on his face or the others around him. I never do.


	3. Chapter 3

So, I've had the first three chapters done for awhile now and I didn't want to overload you guys with the story so I've been trying to space out the uploading process. But from looking at the reviews, I've realized that many people wanted to read Bella's appearance into the story and I decided I shouldn't wait to upload it if I already had it written. That's just kind of cruel lol. But, this is truly all I have written for now...well, except for the start of the next chapter, which is Emmett's point of view :) I have finals this week, but I promise I will try to write and finish as many chapters as I can.

Thanks for all of the reviews :))) You guys seriously motivate me to write more and more and more.

One more final thing. Bella's parents are together in this story because let's just face it. Charlie and Renee are adorable together.

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Bella Point of View

Today was not going to be a good day. I had been awake for approximately five and a half minutes and I could already tell. There were three major signs that clearly pointed to this. One, I woke up an hour and fifteen minutes later than I expected because I slept through the annoying, persistent beeping of my alarm clock for the first time in six years. Two, when I finally was awake, I was unable to find anything; all of my belongings were still packed in boxes, which were labeled Bella in my dad's small, chicken scratch writing, strewn across the house in an unorganized fashion. And, of course, neither of my parents were at home to assist me on the one and only day I have needed them since I was old enough to feed and dress myself. My dad, Charlie, had reported to the police station early, determined to make a good impression on his first day, while my mother, Renee, was probably running around like a lunatic trying to find a new cell phone after she lost hers on the move here, the tenth lost cell phone this month. Third, it was the first day of school and if that wasn't reason enough to crawl into bed, throw the covers over my head, and go back to sleep, I don't know what is. And on top of that, I was going to be the new girl all over again and not just at any school, at Forks High School, a school with a reputation for not only stellar academics and sports teams but also for the rich, snobby kids that go to school there.

After debating for a few minutes, I decided to go to school and if it was really bad, I would just leave and have Renee call the attendance office to excuse my absence later. And since I was already late and almost positive that I wasn't going to make it to first period, I hastily chose to not waste time on searching for clothes and just wear what I was wearing to school. Luckily, since I had gone straight to bed after the drive from Arizona to Forks, I was wearing dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt, an outfit I would have picked if I had the option to anyway.

Still unadjusted to the new house, I ran around for a couple minutes, looking for the kitchen. I quickly opened all of the cupboards, looking for something, anything, to eat. I pulled out a box of Cheerios and poured some into a plastic bag I found on the countertop, in the back of my mind, hoping I could eat in my first period class. I was one of those people who needed breakfast to kick start their day. Without breakfast, I wandered around aimlessly like a zombie.

I checked the clock on the microwave. It read 8:55 in green digital numbers. I had approximately ten more minutes to drive to school, and find my second period class. No pressure.

As I sprinted out of the front door, I swiftly combed my hair and swept it into a low ponytail. I slapped my hand against my forehead as I realized I had forgotten my car and house keys. I ran back inside the house to find them sitting conveniently on a desk near the front door.

After locking the front door, I opened the door to my old, but sturdy truck and started the engine. I took a quick glance at the clock sitting above the newly installed stereo, a guilt gift from Charlie and Renee, and groaned. I had never tested the limits of the truck before, but I guess now was as good a time as any.

I found myself at Forks High School in less than ten minutes. I patted my old trunk gratefully; I had never expected to drive over forty miles per hour, which I considered pushing my luck yet here I was, in one piece, standing in the parking lot with time to spare.

Behind me, I heard the bell ring.

"Shit," I cursed as I grabbed my backpack thrown carelessly on the passenger seat and flung it over my shoulder. I quickly scanned the inside of the truck, making sure I wasn't forgetting anything, and slammed the car door shut. I heard the doors lock automatically behind me, another present from Charlie and Renee, as I bolted away.

I froze in my tracks. I slapped my hand to my forehead for the second time this morning and sprinted back to my trunk. I pressed my face against the window, too worried to feel self conscious or embarrassed, my eyes scouring the car. Then, I finally saw what I hoped I wouldn't, my keys strewn carelessly on the dashboard.

I heard the tardy bell ring. I glanced from my keys to the school, back to my keys to the school again, torn.

I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air, as I walked towards Forks High School. As I entered the school, I unzipped the front pouch of my backpack and pulled out my brand new schedule. Luckily, the school had mailed it to me a week ago. It was still in the envelope. I opened it hastily, taking out the half piece of paper that was my schedule.

I closed my eyes as I soaked in my schedule; it was a sign from fate that I should turn right around and drive home, as if everything that happened this morning wasn't enough. First period, I had AP English. English had always been one of my strongest subjects, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. Second period, I had AP Calculus. It's not that I was bad at math. I just wasn't exactly good either. I had signed up for just regular Calculus, but, of course, I somehow ended up in AP. Just my luck. Third period, I had Spanish. Lacking the ability to roll my R's and enunciate my words always made Spanish embarrassing for me. Fourth period was my P.E. class. By far, P.E. was my worst subject in school because it involved physical activities. And as everyone who has seen me walk knows, doing anything physical was a challenge for me. And, of course, I had P.E. right before lunch so I could reek while I stood in the lunch line and ate lunch. If I wasn't sure of being a complete loner before, I was absolutely positive about now. After lunch, I had fifth period AP United States History, which I didn't mind. I never minded learning about history; I didn't want to be doomed to repeat it. Sixth period, I had Art class. I never considered myself an artist; the only artwork I had ever done was finger painting in kindergarten. But I needed a full academic year of an art class and since I couldn't trust my hands in Ceramics or my barely there speaking skills in Theatre, I was forced into Art.

I wandered around the school for a couple more minutes, in awe at the spacious, well-kept campus before finding Room 32, the room I had been looking for. I took a deep breath, then pushed open the door slowly and stepped inside the classroom timidly.

I closed the door behind me quietly and leaned against it, afraid to step any further. At their desks, every single student's head was down, working intently on a piece of paper. So intently that no one even glanced towards me when the door shut louder than I had hoped.

I noticed a very small, gangly man with large, round glasses sitting in the corner of the room, almost completely hidden behind a new, high tech computer As I walked closer towards him, I realized he was playing a game of Pacman.

"Excuse me," I whispered politely to him, afraid to annoy him by interrupting his game. He turned to me, revealing a face that, to me, resembled that of an owl's. His eyes already large and round, were magnified by his thick glasses. His nose was pointy and sharp-looking like the beak of a bird. His thin hair could pass as bird feathers. I shook the thought out of my mind. "I'm Bella Swan. I'm new here—"

Before I was able to finish, he swiveled towards a stack of papers and started shuffling through them. I took this as an opportunity to look around the classroom I would spend my mornings in for the next nine months. The walls were painted a plain white with randomly placed posters on the wall, boasting math innuendos. On the floor, the tiles were white as well, speckled with grey and blue. There were five rows of desks; each desk was evenly spaced from the others as if someone had measured the exact distance from one desk to another.

I glanced back at the owl, noticing his nicely ironed button up tucked neatly into his dark pants. His shoes looked brand new without a scuff in sight. He definitely had something to do with the perfectly spaced desks. Anal retentive much?

I sighed. The classroom wasn't as elaborate and overdone as I thought it would be; it almost resembled the classrooms back in Arizona, classrooms that can be described using the words: nice, simple, modest.

I swiftly scanned the students, all of which were still bent over, working on a stack of papers. None of their outfits boasted overly expensive brand names as I expected them to. But then again, I was in a classroom filled with mostly boys. And from what I could tell, none of them were extraordinary looking; I thought that movie star good looks, flashy cars, Paris Hilton wannabes, and brand names defined Forks High School, but I guess I had been wrong.

"I'm Mr. Silva," the owl introduced himself in a surprisingly deep voice. He handed me a large, thick packet of papers. "That is a placement test. It is designed to specify what your weaknesses and strengths are in math."

I looked down at the packet in my hands, quickly flipping through the seemingly endless amount of pages. There was everything from simple addition and subtraction to probability and statistics to trig functions. To be honest, I didn't remember how to solve half of the equations that I saw.

"It's due by the end of the period," Mr. Silva added, as if to get me moving so he could return to his game of Pacman. "You can sit wherever you want."

I shuffled down the row closest to me. I didn't want to sit in the front row. For me, that would be too much pressure. I didn't want to sit in the back, either. My eyesight was terrible. I settled on a seat in the middle.

Luckily for me, the middle seat was empty. I set my stack of papers on the desk and shrugged my backpack to the floor. I was about to sit down when a pale hand stopped me.

"This seat is taken," a low voice grumbled, angrily.

I looked towards the voice, half expecting to see a buff, pimply boy who spends his weekdays picking on freshmen, but instead saw what I least expected, an angel. His face was absolutely beautiful. My eyes fluttered over his face, too gorgeous to settle on a particular feature for too long. His eyes were as green and sparkling as emeralds, his skin as white as porcelain, and his hair an indescribable shade of brown tinted with copper. He had sharp, angular features: a powerful, square chin, a pointy nose, high cheekbones, and a strong brow. The corners of his luscious lips pointed downward, twisted into a scowl.

After a few moments, I was still at a loss for words. I nodded and backed away, stumbling into an empty desk behind me and falling conveniently into the seat. I snatched my backpack and test as fast as I could, still not breaking eye contact with the strange, beautiful boy. The snarl never left his face.

I groaned as I wrote my name in the right hand corner of my thirty-two page Calculus test. So, I had been right. Forks was filled with rich, spoiled, _good looking_ assholes. For once, I wished I had been wrong. I knew it was going to be a bad day.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, guys, sorry this chapter took so long. I'm out of school and I really have no excuse. I'm just really, really lazy. But I promise I will update soon. This chapter isn't the best I've ever written, but I am ready to move onto the next one, which will be Edward's point of view, so here you go. Enjoy :)

Emmett Point of View

"Where is Bella?" Alice asked for the fifteenth time to no one in particular. She bounced up and down, up and down, in her seat, her eyes scouring the cafeteria for her cousin who had just moved to town with her parents.

"Maybe she died," I suggested, jokingly, as I took a bite out of my hamburger. I laughed, jollily, at my own joke along with the rest of my friends and knocked on the faux wood cafeteria table, just in case. When I felt Alice's glaring eyes focused on me, I instantly regretted what I had said. "Hey, I knocked on wood. It's all good."

Alice rolled her eyes and started to look for Bella again. "Where _is_ she?"

"Maybe she made some friends." Once again, I felt the infamous Alice Brandon glare focused on me. I was on a roll. I don't know why I continued to answer. Today, it seemed that no matter what I said, Alice always took it the wrong way; she was a little on edge. "I'm just going to stop…talking."

"Oh, there she is!" Alice shouted, gleefully, leaping up from the table and skipping towards Bella with a grace and elegance (not to mention a speed) that was inhumanly impossible for another to possess.

As Alice linked arms with Bella and walked her over to our table, Bella's face was as red as a tomato. I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or not because on the several occasions that I had talked to her, her face was always the same shade of red. So, either she was constantly embarrassed or her natural skin tone is clown nose red. I personally hoped it was the latter.

"Hey, Bella," I greeted her, giving her a playful punch on the shoulder, to which she winced.

"How was the first half of your first day?" Alice squeaked, excitedly, as soon as Bella sat down beside her. Without asking, she peeked inside of Bella's sack lunch and ransacked its contents.

"Terrible," Bella muttered as she crossed her arms onto the cafeteria table and relaxed her head onto them.

"Terrible?" Alice repeated, unhappily, as she gently rested her hand onto Bella's. "Why?"

Bella sighed and started to respond when Mike Newton, my co-captain on the basketball team, nudged me and cocked his head in the direction of the cafeteria doors. I looked up just in time to see Rosalie Hale walk through the entrance. Even in the terrible cafeteria lighting, she resembled a Grecian goddess. She had definitely inherited classic good looks with luscious, golden blonde locks, piercing blue eyes, and a slim, slender body with long legs. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and I highly doubted that that would change any time soon.

"Rosalie," her name slipped through my lips, involuntarily. I didn't even realize I had said anything aloud until I noticed all eyes were on me and most notably, the infamous Alice Brandon glare. Today was just _not_ my day.

"Rosalie Hale?" Alice hissed, her eyes narrowing. It was safe to say that Alice didn't like Rosalie; hell, _I_ didn't even like Rosalie…or, at least, I didn't think so…until I saw her today in first period. When I heard she was coming back, I planned to ignore her but when I caught a glimpse of her beautiful face, I forgot everything she had done to me, to Alice, and I couldn't help but drift towards her like a bee to honey.

"I had first period with her," I answered, honestly, as my eyes trailed Rosalie across the cafeteria. She looked as if she were floating on air; oh, god, she was beautiful.

"Emmett!" Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face, instantly grabbing my attention. When my eyes locked onto hers, there was fierceness in them, but behind the fierceness, there was sadness and pain. Her voice softened. "Don't forget what she did."

I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes as I tried to push the all too familiar feelings of pain, disbelief, and betrayal out of my mind as Rosalie's cruel words and even crueler actions started to swarm me once again. I couldn't let the guys see me acting remotely hurt; Rosalie had hurt me much more than I let anyone know.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled as I took another bite out of my hamburger, giving me an excuse to keep my mouth shut.

The bell shrilled, ending lunch, abruptly. Lucky me.

As I slung my backpack over my shoulder, I turned to Alice, who was still reassuring Bella, kindly, and said as fast as humanly possible, "Oh, by the way, I invited Rosalie to your party tonight."

I didn't turn around to see Alice's expression as I left, but I could imagine it was a mixture of hatred, anger, disbelief, confusion, and sadness.

As I strolled towards my fifth period class, I couldn't help but feel badly at the way I dropped the news onto Alice and then left without another word. I knew she hated Rosalie with every fiber of her being (and she had every right to) and to just leave her like that...God, I was such an asshole sometimes. I was about to turn around and walk back to the cafeteria when I walked right into someone.

I took a step back, starting to apologize, when I realized who I had ran into. I shook my head, grinding my teeth, as Jasper Whitlock turned to face me, a blank expression on his stupid face.

"Watch where you're going next time," I snapped as I pushed him out of my way and started to barrel through the hallway towards woodshop. God, that kid annoyed the hell out of me.

As I finally turned the corner into woodshop, I sighed. This was my home away from home. Time to tear shit apart.


	5. Chapter 5

So it is two o'clock in the morning right now and I have just finished writing this chapter. It took me about two hours. Sorry, if it doesn't make any sense. It's really late...or early, depending on how you look at it. I'll read it over later today and make adjustments if need be. This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I like the relationship between Jasper and Edward a lot. In the books, you don't see too much of their relationship, so I wanted to create one between the two of them. Just a heads up for those who want to know, the next chapter will be rom Alice's point of view at her party. Hope you like it :)

Edward Point of View

"Skipping second _and_ fifth on the first day of school?" I snarled, annoyance seeping through my voice. "Are you _trying _to set a record?"

Jasper looked at me, an amused expression on his face, before answering with a haughty grin, "No, if I was, I wouldn't have come at all."

"Where the hell were you?" I could hear the irritation in my own voice.

"Here," Jasper replied, gesturing to the parking lot. He was smoking…again. What an annoying habit.

I walked closer to Jasper, who was leaning against his car, his arm resting on the frame, and stood in front of the car directly across from his, folding my arms across my chest, unhappily. "I saved you a seat in Calculus."

Jasper laughed as he flicked the cigarette bud onto the parking lot. He ruffled his hair with his hand, another annoying habit of his, trying to think of a reasonable excuse. When he couldn't think of anything, he groaned. "Oh, come on, Edward, lighten up. I wasn't going to sit and take Silva's Calculus Test on the first day of school. I didn't think you were going to either."

I rolled my eyes as I slumped against the car behind me.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you didn't know about it?" Jasper waited for me to respond, but when I didn't, he started to shuffle through the contents of his messy, unorganized backpack. He was never good with awkward silences or social situations in general. It's a fact that I always seemed to forget although it was glaringly obvious most of the time.

"I know _all_ about it now, all thirty-two pages, front and back," I finally muttered as Jasper stuck another cigarette in his mouth. God, he is asking for cancer…if he didn't have it already.

"Sounds like one hell of a test," Jasper mumbled as he lit a match, skillfully, and held it up to his mouth.

"It was." I glared at Jasper, who was too busy smoking his cigarette to notice. I groaned as I thrust the palm of my hand against my forehead.

"How was the rest of your day?" Jasper's eyes were focused on me now. He tapped his fingers nervously as he waited for me to respond; he didn't like when people were angry with him whether it was over a little thing like skipping second period or a huge thing like...skipping second period. For a person who didn't care at all, he cared a lot.

"Nothing special." I shrugged. "Although I had my first admirer in Calculus."

"Go on," Jasper prompted me as he leaned closer to me, a sign that he was actually listening.

"I don't know. She just...stared at me...a lot." I ran a hand through my hair, unconsciously.

"Yeah, girls do that a lot." Jasper of all people could sympathize; he had a fan club of girls and women alike since the sixth grade. If anyone could understand, it was definitely him. "Well, describe her."

"Uh, I don't know. She had long dark brown hair and brown eyes...average height." I stopped, unable to think of anything else to say. Considering I was categorized as asexual for the majority of my life, I didn't really have too many experiences with the opposite sex; hence, I had no idea how to handle, treat, or even talk about them at all.

"Was she pretty?"

"Yes," I answered immediately, almost involuntarily. Although I hadn't given much thought to my answer, I knew, even after I had said it, that it was the right one.

"Ooooooooh," Jasper cooed with a silly grin on his face. He nudged me with his elbow. "Edward has a crush."

I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms across my chest. "It's not going to go anywhere."

It was Jasper's turn to roll his eyes. "Of course it will. You've got that whole 'sensitive guy' thing going on. Girls love that."

I snorted. "She definitely didn't see that side of me this morning."

Jasper's eyes widened. He knew how I could be at times: snappy, rude, insensitive. The list goes on and on. "So what exactly did you do?"

"Snapped at her."

"You snapped at her," Jasper repeated me, slowly, shaking his head. "What a charmer."

Jasper pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, still shaking his head, as he lit a match and held it up to his mouth.

"Enough with the cancer sticks." I snatched the cigarette out of Jasper's mouth and threw it to the ground, tapping it lightly with my foot to make sure it was out.

"Okay, okay. That's my last one for today. Promise." Jasper grinned as he pulled himself onto his trunk.

I rolled my eyes, a sly smile crossing my face. "That was your last one, wasn't it?"

Jasper chuckled as he pulled out his carton of Marlboros from his backpack and lifted the top, revealing that my suspicions were correct. "Of course it was. You know me too well." He tossed the carton onto the side of the street, nonchalantly, before adding, "God, I need new friends."

I laughed as I uncrossed my arms and zipped my jacket. "Speaking of new friends, I heard about your date tonight with Rosalie Hale."

Jasper's lazy smile spread across his face as he rested his head against the back window of the car. "I had no choice in the matter."

"So, you're actually going?" I asked, surprised. Jasper never attended social events such as parties, school dances, etc and as a matter of fact, he was quite proud that he didn't.

"Like I said, no choice." He shrugged, making me all the more suspicious. He most definitely had a choice; he was the type of guy who would, and could, fly out of the country to avoid situations he didn't want to confront. He has done it before and knowing him, he would do it again. "You should come, Edward."

"Me?" With a laugh, I rolled my eyes. My attendance at a party was as likely as Jasper's was. "No thanks."

"Oh, come on." Jasper playfully shoved me. "Live a little."

I raised my eyebrows. If Jasper Whitlock was telling me to live a little, then I must _really_ need a life. I groaned before mumbling, "Yeah, yeah, I'll go."

"You won't regret it," Jasper called after me as I started to walk back to school.

I hope not.


	6. Chapter 6

**A LOT happens in this chapter. If it's confusing, tell me and I'll revise. I think it is one of the longest ones I've written thus far. This is the party at Alice's house. I've been working on this chapter for a couple of months now and let me tell you, it has not turned out how I expected it at all. I love Alice. She is my favorite character in the series and I was looking forward to writing from her point of view. I wanted the party to be fun, happy, and carefree but it turned out quite the opposite. You'll see. **

**And thanks to everyone for the reviews, by the way! Without them, I probably would not have finished this chapter ever. To be honest, I was thinking of shelving this story altogether because I was in somewhat of a rut, but after reading some of the reviews, I decided against it. I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Oh, one last thing. I was wondering what you think of me throwing Carlisle and Esme (tastefully) into the story. I wouldn't write them as parents, though. I think they're really awesome characters and I want to write them as a seventeen or eighteen year old so just tell me what you think.  
**

Alice POV

I tapped my fingers impatiently on the banister as my eyes roamed the crowded living room in front of me. Everyone was here, everyone except Bella. Of course, Bella of all people _would_ be late after I reminded her several times last night _and_ this morning to meet at my house not a minute later than 10:00. She even reassured me with a lovable laugh that she would be here no matter what; now, my eyes narrowed towards the digital clock numbers beside me as they changed to 10:15, and she was still nowhere in sight.

The normal, ordinary sounds of laughter and chatter that surrounded me made me more and more anxious with each passing moment. Every single person that mattered at school, whether it was a little or a lot, was here. I could see Emmett, standing a whole foot taller than everyone surrounding him, telling a funny story about football practice. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched in disgust as Jessica attempted to inconspicuously grab Mike's hand and pull him into the bathroom with her. I spotted Angela sipping bottled water in a corner by herself, self consciously.

I discreetly pulled my cell phone out of my purse and flipped it open, checking for any missed calls or texts and the time all at once. There was nothing, no missed calls, no texts, nothing.

No one had left yet, but then again, the party had only started an hour ago. I told Bella to arrive late for one reason only, unbeknownst to her: when she arrives late to the party, _everyone_ will notice her because she is the "new girl" (and as everyone knows, Forks is extremely lacking in that department). Being noticed in Forks is extremely important, especially for a quiet, shy girl like Bella. Without it, she would just blend into the background.

I groaned as my eyes surveyed the party once again. We had agreed upon meeting here at 10:00 sharp. It was now 10:15 and Bella was nowhere to be seen. I was irritated, to say the least, and started tapping my fingers, even more rapidly than before.

"Al, stop." I turned to face Emmett, who had suddenly appeared next to me. He placed his hand gently on top of mine and squeezed it, lightly, a nervous smile spreading across his face. "She'll be here."

"She better be," I growled, unhappily, as I folded my arms across my chest and huffed.

Emmett's brow furrowed, a confused look crossing his face. He thought for a moment, an action I wouldn't normally expect from him, and started to speak slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully, another unusual action. "I thought…you didn't want her to…come."

My eyes were locked on Emmett as I answered. He was acting strange; he was _thinking_…and before speaking, too. When did that happen? "_Of_ _course_, I want her to come. This party is for her."

"Really?" Emmett raised an eyebrow, incredulously.

"Really, really," I insisted, unfolding and folding my arms as my eyes left Emmett and circulated the living room. "She needs to meet new people and socialize."

"I thought you were throwing this party for me and my scholarship to Duke." Emmett looked at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

There was a moment of silence before the two of us burst out into laughter. I could always count on Emmett to bring up his academic achievements, as few and far between as they were, at the most random times. He always wanted to rub it in my face that he was going to the college of his choice for absolutely free while I still had to pay for mine.

Emmett crossed his arms across his chest and allowed his eyes to wander into the distance, biting his lip, a thinking habit of his. Again, with his thinking. He sighed, focusing his eyes onto mine with that nervous smile of his again. "I guess it's good I invited her then, huh?"

I stared at Emmett for a moment, completely and totally confused. I knew two things for sure; I was speaking of Bella, my shy, but beloved cousin, and Emmett, on the other hand, was not.

"Who are you…" I began when I heard the loud roar of a car engine that could belong to none other than Bella's old, dying truck. My eyes immediately flickered to the front door; I waited, bouncing up and down in anticipation, for her to come into view.

I started to ask my question again when Emmett whispered in awe, interrupting me, "She's here."

Puzzled at his transfixed expression and almost inaudible whisper, I turned to follow his gaze. My eyes landed on the front door, now open. Everything seemed to slow for a moment. And then everything froze. I could hear my heart racing in my chest, threatening to explode. Then complete silence. My hands clenched the banister, keeping me from collapsing. I couldn't breathe. It wasn't Bella standing in the doorway.

It was Rosalie. And she wasn't alone; _of course_, she wouldn't show up alone not here, not at my house. Standing behind her were two incredibly gorgeous guys that I had never seen before, one blonde, the other brunette. The blonde was taller and more muscular than the brunette; his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans and his head was cast down. The brunette's arms were folded across his chest, his mouth seemingly set in a permanent grimace.

My head swiveled towards Emmett, who was no longer next to me. My eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other in search of him; I finally spotted him, strolling towards Rosalie, a big smile on his face.

_That bastard. _

I slipped away into my bedroom before anyone could notice me. I closed the door behind me and locked it, quickly.

My whole body was shaking violently. That was Rosalie's effect on me. My chest was heaving in and out, in and out sharply.

I had to get out of here; I had to leave. I couldn't stay here with _her_, not after what she did. I couldn't forgive her, maybe Emmett could, but I couldn't.

My knees buckled down from underneath me, causing me to fall onto the ground. I hunched forward in an ungraceful manner over my bent knees, the top of my head pressed against them as my fingers gritted my calves. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my uneven gasps for air. I closed my eyes hard, trying to block out any pain or shortness of breath I was feeling.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe_, I urged myself, impatiently. Even when I was a little kid, patience had never been one of my strong points.

Eventually, my breathing started to level and the pain in my body was lifted. The irrepressible shaking and the crying, on the other hand, didn't go away. I ran my hand through my hair as I tapped my fingers rapidly on my legs.

"I need a drink," I muttered to myself as I crawled on my hands and knees to my closet in search of any alcoholic beverage. I knew there had to be _something_ in there; I always stocked my closet full before I threw a party of any sort.

All that I found in my larger than life sized closet was a six pack of beers, the standard cheap, drink-out-of-a-red-cup kind. Although I didn't prefer them, I had no choice, but to drink them.

I had just finished my second can when I heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Alice?" Bella called, her voice soft and quiet. She sounded concerned.

I stood up quickly, a little too quickly, and unlocked the door with a twist of my wrist. Standing before me was Bella with a worried look on her face. She hurried into the room and closed the door, quietly.

"Al, are you okay?" Bella asked me, slowly, sitting me down onto my bed. "I saw Rosalie downstairs and…"

"I'm fine," I interrupted her, slurring my words together. I spread my arms out, falling back onto my bed.

"_Alice_." Her voice was firm. She wasn't going to give up easily. Damn her stubbornness.

"All right, all right." I sighed, closing my eyes. "I want to leave. I don't even want to be in the same room as her."

"Okay. Let's go, then. We'll take my car." Bella offered me her hand with a kind smile on her face and pulled me to my feet. "Let's get to the front door as fast as we can."

"Or we can avoid the party altogether," I suggested as an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. I cocked my head towards the open window. During my freshman and sophomore years in high school, Rosalie and I would always sneak out of my window to meet up with Emmett and party. Although it was two years ago, I was almost positive that I was still capable.

Bella looked at me as if I were crazy. "I don't think you should climb out of a window in the state you're in." She started to walk towards the door, motioning for me to follow, when she added, "I shouldn't do that in my _regular_ state."

I laughed as I followed her out of the door, linking my arm with hers. I didn't want to make a grand entrance by way of falling face first down the stairs.

No one seemed to notice me or Bella as we walked down the stairs and towards the door. There were segregated groups, chatting amongst themselves on the sides of the rooms, red cups in their hands, with very few people on the dance floor, just the slutty girls and their horny boyfriends. It didn't seem like I missed much at all.

We had only walked a couple feet outside of the party when Bella stopped and turned towards me. "Wait here. My car is a couple of blocks away."

"It's late at night!" I exclaimed, stumbling after her as she walked down my lit driveway. "I'm not going to let you walk by yourself."

"Drunk as you are, I'm not going to let you walk period," Bella insisted as she backed down the driveway and walked down the block. "I have pepper spray. Don't worry."

I groaned, thrusting my hands on my hips, unhappily. I hated when I didn't get my way, sober or drunk. I began to turn around to walk towards the front porch when I caught a glimpse of white in the corner of my eye. When I took a closer look, squinting my eyes, I realized that it was one of Rosalie's boys sitting on the lawn by himself smoking.

He suddenly turned and looked at me, his eyes locked onto mine. They were dark blue, intense and endless.

I couldn't breathe while I held his gaze. It was almost as if he could see through everything: the fake smiles, the walls, the mask. It was almost as if he could see…_me_.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I tried to back away, but instead, stumbled backwards onto my ass.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried. Before I could blink, he was kneeling next to me with a concerned look on his face. He gently wrapped his arm around me and sat me up as if I were a delicate porcelain doll.

"Y-y-yeah," I finally managed to stammer as I looked down at the pavement. How embarrassing.

"You don't have to be embarrassed." He smiled, sweetly; it was almost as if he knew exactly how I felt.

I nodded in response, not wanting to say or do anything that might me look like an even bigger fool. I could already tell that the two of us were going to be great friends.

He turned his head away from me for a moment, slipping his cigarette into his mouth, rapidly, as if he was trying to hide it from me.

I laughed aloud at the thought, throwing my head back onto his shoulder, causing him to look at me with an amused expression on his face. "You know, smoking is bad for you, right?"

He chuckled, putting out the cigarette with a twist of his foot. "You're the second person to tell me today."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Really." He smiled, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth. "You know, drinking isn't much better."

I smiled, trying not to stare into his eyes. I held out a hand to him. "I'm Alice, Alice Brandon, by the way."

"I know." He nodded with a small smile. "I'm Jasper." He took my hand into his and kissed it gently.

"Charming, Jasper with no last name." I looked down at the cement, trying to stop myself from blushing.

"I try," he joked. He didn't let go of my hand and I didn't object. We sat together, happily, gazing off into the distance.

"Hey, I've been looking for you," a smooth voice called from the front porch. My head swiveled around to see the brunette standing outside of my front door with his hands still firmly across his chest as if he hadn't moved them all night. He walked towards us, curiously, and sat down beside Jasper In the moonlight, his hair looked like it had a hint of bronze.

"I've been out here." Jasper shrugged and turned his attention back to me. "This is my friend, Edward."

Edward offered his hand to me and I took it, shaking hands.

All of a sudden, I could hear the hum of an engine. I glanced up to see Bella's big, red truck parked in front of the driveway. She had jumped down from the cab and started to walk towards me when she suddenly froze. Her face began to turn red; this always signaled either embarrassment or fear, sometimes both.

"Bella," I called out as comfortingly as I could. I stood up, quickly, which almost resulted in another fall on the ass, but Jasper held me firmly with his arm. He helped me walk over to her with what little dignity I had left. I held Bella's hand and asked her, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Bella gulped before whispering, "That's the guy…from Calculus." Her eyes never left Edward, who was sitting on the driveway with his hood up.

He stood, slowly, and walked away towards the house. He let the front door slam behind him as he went inside.

"Edward isn't an asshole all of the time," Jasper explained to Bella with a reassuring smile. "When he is, I'll be there. I'm in your Calculus class."

Bella smiled, uncomfortably, still staring at the front door where Edward had last been seen. She sighed and let her head drop down.

"Hey, Jasper, there you are—," a beautiful voice started, but then stopped abruptly. My head spun around to see Rosalie and Emmett standing together on the front porch, staring at the three of us huddled together on the driveway. I suddenly became intensely aware of Jasper's arm wrapped around my waist.

There was a look of genuine surprise and confusion on Rosalie's face. Emmett's face didn't say anything, but his clenched fists did.

Before another word was spoken, Emmett marched up to Jasper and punched him in the nose. Jasper, surprised, stumbled backwards and fell onto his back. Emmett, no rookie to fighting, straddled Jasper, punching his face as hard as he possibly could while Jasper covered his face with his hands. Blood was everywhere.

"Emmett, stop!" I screamed. I grabbed one of his arms and tried to pull it back, away from Jasper's bloody face. "Stop it! Stop it!"

Emmett ignored me, punching Jasper harder and harder until another, stronger hand held back one of Emmett's hands.

"Get off of my friend," Edward growled. Although he was four or five inches shorter and not half as muscular as Emmett, Edward still managed to look menacing. His lips were turned downward into an animalistic snarl. He repeated himself once more, emphasizing each word, "Get off."

Emmett pushed past Edward, stomping down the street. He could be heard cursing, kicking, and punching random objects as he marched to his jeep a few blocks away.

I turned my attention to Jasper. My heart stopped beating in my chest.

He was lying down on the ground, unconscious. His hands and face were red with blood. Without thinking, I sat down next to him, wrapped my arm around his body as he had done to me an hour ago, and sat him up slowly, making sure to hold his head upright. Before I knew it, Edward was on the other side of Jasper, helping me.

"Bella, you're going to drive Jasper to the hospital," I instructed her. She nodded and rushed towards the car, opening the passenger door for Jasper, then ran back onto the driver's side and hopped in.

Edward draped one of Jasper's arms around his neck and motioned for me to do the same. Together, we carefully began to walk towards the car, Jasper's feet dragging behind us, his head slumped over. When we finally reached the car, I tried my best to assist Edward in hoisting Jasper into the cab and sliding him into the worn-in seat.

Edward jumped into the car, sliding Jasper into the middle seat, and closed the door behind him.

Without thinking, I said, "Take care of him."

Edward's head rotated towards me, a reassuring smile pressed across his face.

I held out a pinky to him. When our pinkies interlocked, he promised, "I will."

"Ready?" I heard Bella ask anxiously from the driver's seat.

"Yeah." Edward let go of my hand and the truck drove off, faster than I have ever seen it drive before.

I found myself in the middle of the street hours later, still staring after the truck long after it had gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, remember how I was thinking of making Carlisle and Esme teens in this story? Well, a character came up and he fit the Carlisle description so, sorry to say, that this time around Carlisle is an older, father figure type person. But maybe in my next story he won't be?**

**I'm really proud of myself. I wrote all of this tonight. Yay :)**

**Anyway, I'm going to be hiking the Grand Canyon for the next ten days. I'm really sorry. That's kinda why I updated so fast this time. I promise I will be thinking of new twists and turns while I'm hiking around. The first hike is going to be a bitch :/ Fifteen miles, haha. So, anyway, I hope you like this next chapter :)))**

Bella POV

The drive to the hospital was a complete blur of red and green lights, cutting around slow cars, stop signs, trees, crazy turns, complete silence, and blood, lots and lots of blood. When I finally pulled into the emergency room entry, time finally started to slow down.

Before I could say a word, Edward leaped out of the truck and into the hospital. He was running back with two men and a wheelchair trailing behind him; the two men pulled Jasper out of the truck and hoisted him by his armpits into the wheelchair.

As the they ran into the hospital with Jasper, I felt my phone vibrating against the seat cushion. Without looking, I picked it up, glancing at the screen before answering, and held the phone up to my ear as I pressed the green button.

"Hi, Mom." I sighed as I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear. I turned the key in the ignition, causing the truck's engine to roar loudly to life, and drove out of the emergency entry in search of a parking space.

"Bella, where are you?" Renee demanded, her voice sounded worried. She _had_ always been the worrier in the family.

"Mom, I'm alright," I reassured her as I eased into a parking space. "Don't worry; I'll be home soon."

"You're coming home right now, Isabella Marie Swan. It's 2:30 in the morning. You should be sleeping in your bed right now."

My brow furrowed. It couldn't be 2:30 in the morning. It just _couldn't_ be. My eyes shifted instantly to the clock beneath the dashboard to see that the green digital numbers read 2:32. I clapped my hand to my forehead; I had clearly underestimated Renee. She obviously wasn't as overprotective, paranoid, and worrying as I had thought she was.

"Mom, don't freak out, okay?" I started, slowly, testing out the water. One little piece of information at a time. I didn't want to overwhelm her.

"Then, don't give me a reason to freak out, Bella." Her voice was unwavering.

I stalled a little, trying to find the right words. "Well, at Alice's party, a guy was…hurt. I took him to the hospital."

There was a slight pause. "Oh, Bella, is he okay?"

I sighed with relief. The hard part was over. She was right where I wanted her. "I'm not sure, Mom. I was going to check on him when you called."

She was hesitating. She was definitely about to crack. "Okay, well, come home as soon as you can. Be safe. Love you."

"I will. Love you, too." As I disconnected the call, I caught a glimpse of twenty-three missed calls from Renee. So, maybe, I _had_ been right about her and her worrying.

I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and opened the car door, careful not to hit the car next to me. After locking the doors and placing my keys knowingly in my jacket pocket, I began to trudge back to the emergency room entrance.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a woman asked me, politely, when I entered and looked around the numerous hallways and doorways, nervously.

"Yes." I walked closer to the woman, who was sitting behind a desk with a computer in front of her. "Can you tell me what room Jasper Whitlock is in?"

"Sure." The woman began to type on the computer and looked up at me when she had an answer. She gestured as she spoke. "His room is the first on the left."

"Okay, thank you." I smiled as pleasantly as I could and followed her directions under her watchful eye. Before entering the room, I unsubtly glanced inside of the room through the small, rectangular window placed conveniently on the white door. Only when I saw Edward and his all too familiar grimace did I cautiously enter the room.

When I tiptoed in, Edward's intense eyes were suddenly focused on me. I tried my best not to shudder and shrink back into the doorway under his disdainful gaze as I walked towards Jasper's bed and took a seat beside it.

"Is he…alright?" I finally asked, breaking the chilling silence between us.

"Does he look alright?" Edward snarled. After a moment, his face softened; he sighed, running his hand through his messy hair. "He has a broken nose and several concussions."

"Oh." I sighed, unable to think of anything else to say. Jasper looked so calm and serene under the yellow tinted hospital lighting and overbearingly white surroundings. I wondered where in the world his parents could possibly be.

"You can go home now." Edward's gaze was focused on me. He didn't sound as if he were making a suggestion. He sounded as if he were making a demand.

"No."

Edward leaned closer to me across Jasper's hospital bed. "Bella, you _should_ go home now."

My eyes narrowed. "I don't want to go home."

"Well, you _should_."

Stubbornly, I crossed my arms across my chest. "But I don't _want_ to."

"Why are you being so difficult?" Edward groaned, placing his hands over his face.

"Fine, I'll leave," I declared, standing up. As I moved towards the door, I turned around and asked, innocently, "But how are you going to get home?"

He thought for a moment, probably going through all of the contacts on his phone in his head and the probability of whether or not they would help him, and then finally, sighed, the look of defeat on his face. "Can you…please stay here?"

I suppressed a smile and walked back into the room. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

Edward's eyes narrowed. He huffed. "Can you…_please_ stay here?"

"Sure." I smiled, wickedly, and sunk back down in my chair.

At the sound of the door swishing open, I swiveled my head around to see a doctor enter the room, a clipboard in one hand, a pen in the other. He was tall, blonde, and incredibly attractive for being a doctor if I did say so myself. He smiled at me kindly upon entering and introduced himself to me as Carlisle Cullen (it seems that he and Edward already have a relationship of some sort). He stood at the foot of the bed, reading the information on the clipboard to himself.

"Has he stirred?" he asked, looking to Edward for a response. I couldn't help but feel incredibly useless and unwanted.

Edward shook his head, unhappily; his infamous grimace set on his face once again.

"No movements? No sounds? Nothing?" Carlisle still looked to Edward for an answer. I wasn't completely inept to answering such questions or, at least, that's what I thought. The two were having their own Q & A session over on the other side of Jasper's bed and I was completely excluded.

"No…nothing." Edward's voice sounded hollow and empty.

"It seems he will be out for the night," Carlisle concluded to himself, writing something rapidly onto the clipboard. He tapped his pen on it, thinking to himself. "Has Jasper's parents been contacted?"

Edward nodded. "They're visiting some friends in Europe. They can't make it back."

Carlisle bent over, leaning closer to Edward. His voice was a whisper. "How has he been since the accident?"

"Great." Edward's voice sounded hoarse, almost as if it pained him to speak. He closed his eyes, swallowing. When he opened them, all I could see was extreme guilt. All of his anger had seemed to vanish.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes. Sure, I had only known Edward for twenty hours or so, but in all of the hours that I _had _known him, he had only expressed one emotion to me: anger. I had almost started to believe that he was incapable of any other emotion and now, here he is, demonstrating he actually has a heart, a rather deformed one, but a heart nonetheless.

Carlisle's voice lowered, barely audible. "Have all of the burns healed?"

Edward nodded, glumly. If I wasn't so deathly afraid of him, I might have hugged him. And maybe with his newly grown heart pumping in his chest, he would have hugged me back.

Carlisle, meanwhile, patted Edward on the back, and told him before leaving, "I'll come back in an hour or two and check his progress."

"Bella," a voice called in the doorway.

I turned around to see Charlie, still in his police uniform, standing next to the door with his hands stuffed in his pockets, looking rather uncomfortable. I raised an eyebrow at him, asking him in our own silent language why he had come.

"Your mom called me." Charlie shrugged as he inched closer to Edward and me. "She wanted me to see what happened to the boy."

"Emmett McCarty happened," Edward murmured under his breath, angrily. Well, there's the angry, sullen Edward that I knew and feared.

Charlie focused on Edward, observing him. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Edward thrust his chin onto his clenched fist.

"Did you say Emmett McCarty?" The look on Charlie's face was suspicious; he seemed to know something that he was holding back.

Edward sighed, looking Charlie straight in the eyes when he finally nodded his head. Both of them seemed to know a _lot _more than they were saying.

"Interesting," Charlie muttered to himself as he paced the room, back and forth, back and forth.

"Dad," I hissed, causing him to stop in his tracks and look at me. "What is it?"

"Well, I don't know if I should be telling you this, Bells."

"Dad, come on." I glanced at Edward and gestured to the two of us as I asked, "Who would we tell?"

"Okay, okay." Charlie paused a moment, playing with the tips of his mustache. "Sometime last year, Emmett McCarty committed a…a crime against the Whitlocks."

"A...a crime?" I repeated, slowly. Although I didn't know the guy too well, I honestly didn't think Emmett was capable of hurting a fly. He was the goofy and dumb, yet lovable jock in the stereotypical high school movie. Not the deranged, psycho murderer that kills anything at will in the overly gory horror movies. I stopped for a moment. "Wait...Dad, how do you know this?"

Charlie shrugged, not willing to give his answer.

"Dad," I persisted. Charlie and I had always been the stubborn ones out of our small, three person family. But I had been known to hold out longer.

"I heard Alice was dating him...so I checked up on him."

I raised my eyebrows. Alice would be a little peeved, yet flattered when she heard. "What did he do?"

Charlie shook his head. "I can't say, Bells. I have already said too much. But I can tell you one thing; he can kiss his Duke scholarship goodbye."

I looked from Charlie to Edward, back again. Charlie was pacing the length of the room, again, while Edward concentrated on the tiles of the floor. Both of them knew something they weren't saying. And I was going to figure out what they were hiding if it was the last thing I did.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, I'm back :) I love the reviews you guys are leaving. They are sooo awesome and make me smile and want to write more and more and more. So, keep leaving them please and thank you :) I hope you like this chapter. I wrote it a billion times in my head at the Grand Canyon. I hope some of your questions have been answered in this chapter; for those that aren't, don't worry. They will definitely be answered soon. Hope you like it. **

Emmett POV

When I step back and take a look at my life, I have three and only three things. The first is my alcoholic and consistently inconsistent mother. I've learned to never expect anything from her or to never spend time worrying about her; like I said, she is consistently inconsistent. She returns home three out of the seven days of the week, three out of three times totally and completely wasted. I would like to believe that she wasn't always this way, that she only became this way after she moved back to Forks, chasing my charming father, and had her heart broken. But it still wasn't an excuse for her rage, bitterness, and hopelessness. It scares me every time I look in the mirror and see those same emotions staring me in the face; every single day, I can see them more and more. The second is my scholarship to Duke. Three years of hard work, on and off the field, helped me win a football scholarship to my dream college, Duke. But after letting the rage and bitterness that had haunted me every day of my life get the best of me at Alice's party, my Duke scholarship was gone along with my hope of going to college and becoming a professional football player. The third and last thing I had was an undying love for Rosalie Hale. I had always loved her, and would always; it was a curse that my mother and I shared, loving a person who would never love back. It was her demise and I hoped that my love for Rose wasn't mine, but it seemed that history was doomed to repeat itself.

I closed my eyes, running my hand over my face. I couldn't focus on one, singular thought; my mind kept jumping from one to another. So many things happened last night, so many things that changed _every_ thing in my life.

I started to run over the events in my head for what seemed like the billionth time, but stopped, hesitated. Some things were too painful to live through once and impossible to live through again even if only through a memory. I sighed, clenching my fists tightly, bracing myself for what was going to happen, for the memories that were about to unfold.

_"Emmett," a voice called, causing me to turn around. Mike was standing in front of me with a huge smile spread across his face, a beer in his hand. "I just scored with Jessica in the bathroom."_

_"Bad ass," I replied, appreciatively, offering my fist to Mike, who promptly pounded it with his own. I was on the verge of asking him for the details concerning his bathroom rendezvous but stopped short when I spotted Rosalie staring at the second level of the house. I followed her gaze, watching a dejected Alice trudge into her bedroom; I turned back to Rosalie, whose face was contorted with sadness and pain. Quickly, she walked into the kitchen. Without even thinking, I immediately followed her and halted at the door, peeking inside._

_Rosalie was leaning forward on the kitchen countertop with her hands, her back to me. I started to back away and walk towards the party when I heard her quiet, muffled sniffles. The sound of her crying froze me, dead in my tracks. I was standing beside her before I even realized what I was doing._

_She looked up at me and her bright blue eyes never looked more beautiful than at that exact moment, despite the pain and agony that haunted them. I couldn't help but lift a finger to her face, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. There were no words to what I was feeling at that moment for her; it was a combination of sadness, longing, love._

_"Rose—" I started, softly, as she turned away from me, abruptly, covering her beautiful face with her hands._

_"Don't," she hissed through her fingers. She whipped around, standing on her tiptoes, her face directly level to mine. "Don't."_

_I shook my head at her, hurt and worried at the same, as I walked to the door. I was halfway out when I clenched my fist and walked back in, slamming the door behind me and locking it. "After all of these years, that is all you can say to me?"_

_Her back was facing me again, her body shaking violently. It seemed that her arms were the only things holding her up. She swirled around, looking me straight in the eye, and was finally able to choke out the word, "No."_

_I closed my eyes, honestly confused, and when I opened them, she was still staring at me. I swallowed. "Then, what? What is it?"_

_It was Rosalie that closed her eyes this time. She knew this question was coming; how could she __not know? She had been dreading it and here it was. I had finally asked it and to be completely honest, I had no idea what the answer was and although I desperately wanted to know what it was, there was a small part of me that didn't want to know, that wanted to be left in the dark. That part of me didn't want to know what was eating Rosalie Hale alive, inside and out was the selfish part of me, the part that cared somewhat for self preservation. But the other part, the much larger part, wanted to carry the burden, whatever it was, with her for the rest of my life._

_She opened her eyes, gazing at the floor, not me. Again, she started to shake violently, throwing a hand up to her forehead. "It's just…it's just too damn hard, living in this town, with you and Alice and…all of the memories. I just…I just __can't."_

_I shook my head, clenching my fist. "It's hard for __you?" I was surprised at how harsh my voice sounded as I took a step forward, towards Rosalie, my head still shaking. "Rosalie, you're the one who __left. You're the one who lied, broke my heart, and left. How the hell is this hard for you?"_

_"Harder than you know," she growled, ferocity evident in her voice for the first time that night. Her eyes lifted from the floor, finding mine. "You don't know half of what I have been through for the past two years."_

_My eyes narrowed as I remembered all of the magazines that I had spotted her in, wearing skimpy bathing suits, posing with attractive, muscular men. "Oh, really? Then, why don't you tell me how goddamn hard it was?"_

_"You want to know the truth? Do you?" Rosalie demanded, waiting for me to respond with a nod of my head. She let out a breath of air, holding herself up with a hand on the kitchen countertop. She looked up at me, her face in front of mine, again. "The truth would kill you."_

_She turned away from me, her body hunched over the countertop. She looked as if she was about to collapse. Despite everything that was happening between us, I could think of holding her delicate body tightly in my arms._

_"Rosalie," I started, softly, walking behind her. "I can forgive you for lying and for breaking my heart. But I want to know…I _need _to know."_

_Rosalie faced me, her blue eyes softer and more delicate than ever before. She wrapped her hand around mine, tightly, as if it could keep her from falling apart. "I left and lied because I was afraid."_

_She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before looking me directly in the eye and saying, "I was pregnant."_

_My heart stopped beating in my chest. My breathing halted along with everything else. I couldn't feel anything, not my fingers, my arms, my legs. I couldn't hear the laughter, chatter, and blaring music outside of the kitchen door. For a moment, everything went to black and it was only a few moments later when I found myself, still standing in front of Rosalie, an expectant, but unsure look on her face._

_"You…were…pregnant?" I repeated, slowly. The words were painful to say and excruciatingly more painful to hear aloud._

_Rosalie nodded, her face parallel to the ground. She didn't dare look into my eyes; she was afraid of what she might see there._

_"Why didn't you tell me?" I was still speaking incredibly slowly. Every single word was still as excruciating as the first._

_"I was afraid." Rosalie's voice was a whisper; I could barely hear her over the sounds outside of the kitchen. She still wouldn't meet my eye. "My mother found the pregnancy test…and then…"_

_"And then you lied to her." I finished her sentence without even thinking, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. I was so completely and totally overwhelmed that my mind couldn't form a single thought even if it had tried. "You told her that I raped you."_

_She started to shake again, uncontrollably. Her hands covered her face, muffling her sobs. Her legs collapsed underneath her, causing her to fall to the floor. "I was afraid…"_

_I looked down at her, still unable to function. "What happened to…"_

_"_Him_," Rosalie finished my sentence, firmly. Her eyes were locked on mine, now, as she stood up, a hand on the countertop to assist her. "A European family adopted him in Paris."_

_I swallowed, again, closing my eyes. "What is __his name?"_

_"Henry."_

I opened my eyes, safely in the present. I allowed my eyes to wander, finding my reflection in the mirror that sat on my dresser. The rage, bitterness, and hopelessness was gone…for now. I knew what I needed to do, what I _had_ to do.

I grabbed an old suitcase from my closet and threw in several shirts, pants, and socks inside, hastily, along with toiletries. Without hesitation, I clicked the suitcase shut.

As I approached my cell phone sitting on my bed, I began to have serious doubts but I shook them away as I found the person I was looking for on my list of contacts and pressed dial.

"You have some serious explaining to do," the voice demanded.

I sighed. "I'll explain later."

There was an uneasy silence. I took a deep breath in; it was easy to plan a change in life, but it wasn't easy to change it. Here I was, taking the first step, the plunge. "Can you take me to the airport?"


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm on a freaking roll. I hope everyone likes this chapter. And I'm going to be honest, I hope this one surprises you. I tried to throw a couple twists and turns in there. I love all of your reviews btw :)**

Emmett POV

An hour later, a car horn honked outside of the house. My ride was finally here. I grabbed my suitcase in one hand and my house key in the other, making my way towards the front door. I stopped only when I heard a moan.

I backtracked, finding myself at my mother's bedroom, the door wide open. She was sprawled on her bed, lying on her stomach. For once, she looked peaceful, happy, delicate, even.

I couldn't help but smile as I set down my suitcase and tiptoed into her room, gently kissing the top of her head. She probably wouldn't notice my absence and even if she did, I highly doubted she would care enough to do anything about it. Even with all of her faults, I still did love her and I knew, somewhere deep down, she loved me too.

I began to walk out of the room when I spotted an unfamiliar picture on her nightstand. My brow furrowed as I walked around her bed to the nightstand, picking the picture up with both of my hands, studying it.

"Oh God, Mom," I whispered to no one in particular as I sat down on her bed. My eyes still hadn't moved an inch from the picture; it was a pretty old picture by the looks of it. It was in black and white, the edges were torn and certain parts were worn and soft. But it wasn't the surprisingly good condition the picture was in that made me shutter inside. It was the two people standing in the picture, the couple staring at the camera, happily, smiling.

One of the two people was my mother, small and fragile looking, even then. Her hair was dark and curly, like mine, thrown hastily in a bun. Her eyes were a dark brown, the color of a deep, rich chocolate candy. Her arms were wrapped around a tall, lean man. He was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen; it was easy to see how my mother had fallen in love with him so fast and so hard.

My father didn't look anything like me; it disturbed me how closely he resembled someone else that I knew. It made me clench my fists and grit my teeth together.

_Honk. Honk. _

My ride was growing impatient. I thought about taking the picture along with me, but knew that my mother would notice its disappearance and probably have a drunken fit over it. So, with a sigh, I placed the picture back where I found it on the nightstand and walked through the house once again, finding it lonely and empty for the first time in my life.

I opened the front door and took a step outside, swinging my head around to take one last look at the house of my childhood, the house where I took my first steps, said my first words, and received my first football. Only fond memories came to mind; all of the terrible, unbearable ones seemed to disappear.

With a smile, I took a last, final step outside of my house and closed the door behind me. It seemed so final, so absolute. As I walked away from the house and towards the yellow Porsche parked beside the cement, I refused to look back.

I poked my head inside of the open window on the passenger's side, making sure to smile. "Hi, Alice."

She didn't respond, not that I expected her to, but merely popped open the trunk with a flick of her wrist. Her eyes followed me through the rearview mirror as I walked to the back of the car and situated my single suitcase in the trunk next to the organized piles of shopping bags. I could feel her glare still as I opened the car door, slid into the passenger seat, and closed it.

Alice immediately locked the car doors, signaled by a click. Then, without looking at me or the street, she sped off in the direction of the airport.

There was an awkward five minute silence between us before she finally spoke. Her eyes were concentrating on the road. "It's a two hour drive to the airport, Em. Start explaining."

I sighed, putting my head in my hand. "It's a long story, Al…"

"Like I said, it's a two hour drive." Alice wasn't budging; she was terribly stubborn, that one. She glanced over in my direction, quickly. "At least start, Emmett."

"Okay, okay." I closed my eyes, relaxing my head against the headrest on the top of the chair before beginning. "The story starts in 1987."

Alice's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her lips pursed, as if she wanted to say something. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but instead, closed it and kept her eyes focused on the road.

"My mother, Emma, was a freshman at Los Angeles High School. She met a charming, young junior by the name of James. She fell head over heels in love with him from the moment she saw him; the feeling was mutual…at least, for awhile. The two dated for James' junior and senior years in high school. When he graduated, he promised to keep in touch, but by the beginning of summer, Emma knew their relationship was over." I swallowed, closing my eyes again. I had never told anyone this story before and had never planned to. Hearing the story from my mother once was enough for me.

I gripped the armrest as I continued. "In the middle of the summer, she realized she was…pregnant. She tried to contact James, but for some reason, she couldn't get a hold of him. Through his parents, she had learned he had moved back to his hometown of Forks so she followed him there in hopes of raising her child, me, with him. When she came to Forks, she learned something else."

I flinched as I came to the most difficult part of the story. It was the most difficult part for me to say; it was definitely the most difficult part for me to hear as a child. I didn't want to say it, to acknowledge it, but it was the single most important part of the story, no matter how difficult it was. And I knew it. "She learned that James had fallen in love with another woman, Alise, and that the two were married and…expecting."

I took a moment to breathe and take a peek at Alice, whose expression was unreadable from where I was sitting. For a moment, I started to wonder if she had even heard what I had said when she turned to look at me, compassion shining through her eyes. "Oh, Emmett."

I smiled, nervously, looking down at my shoes. "My mom was devastated. She started to drink and never stopped. I was born a few months later and my half brother, Jasper, a few months after that."

There was only a moment of silence before Alice spoke again, her voice soft and gentle. "Why have I never heard this story before?"

I sighed, shrugging. "It's not a story I like to tell."

Alice placed her tiny hand on top of mine, squeezing it gently. She didn't say anything nor did I; we didn't need to.

It was a few minutes later when she finally asked me the question that I had been awaiting anxiously since I had stepped into the car. Her eyes were fixated on mine, an understanding smile pressed onto her lips. "Why are you taking things out on Jasper?"

Even though I had been expecting this question, it didn't make it any easier to answer. I made sure to look Alice dead in the eye when I answered finally after gulping, uneasily. "Jealousy."

I looked straight ahead as I continued, "He had _everything_ I wanted; a father who cared, a mother who didn't try to drink herself to death every night. He has a family, Al, and he doesn't even appreciate it."

Alice was silent for a moment, watching the road, again. "I'm going to Paris with you."

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. "I didn't tell you where I was going. How did you know?"

She shrugged with a smile, evading the question. "It doesn't matter how I know, just that I _do_ know. So, tell me, why are you going to Paris on the second day of school?"

I exhaled; I hadn't told anyone about my plans yet. It felt as if my plans were being solidified when I spoke of them. "I'm not going back to school. I'm going to Paris to find my son."

I dropped two huge bombs on Alice, but she didn't even flinch. She merely looked at me, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Goody. I can't wait to go."

"Alice," I said, seriously, giving her a dubious look. "I'm going to Paris by myself."

She shook her head, firmly, from side to side. "No, you're not. I'm coming with you."

"Alice, like you pointed out, it's only the second day of our senior year." A good point, if I did say so myself.

Alice rolled her eyes as she made an expert left turn on a yellow light. "My GPA can definitely take a hit. No worries."

When I opened my mouth to protest, she held her hand up in my face, stopping me from speaking. "I'm your best friend and I'm going, damn it. Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."

I smiled at Alice's stubbornness. It was a quality that I had always admired in her along with her feistiness. It reminded me why she had become one of my best friends and my girlfriend. "Okay, so we're going to Paris."

Alice grinned at me as she swerved into the Seattle airport parking lot. "Now, that's the spirit."

As the two of us walked together into the airport, past luggage check, and security, I went over the plan that I had in mind although I knew, in reality, it wasn't well thought out or foolproof in the least. In my mind, I was planning on wingin' it but with Alice here, I pretended to have some idea of what I wanted to do while in Paris although, in actuality, I had none. I knew I wanted to find my son, but at this point, that was _all_ I knew.

"Emmett, you're going to need another plan," Alice nagged me as we stepped off of the escalator. She pointed in the direction of the terminal, leading the way. Considering she had spent most of her summer at the airport, taking flights constantly from Europe to Forks, it was safe to say she knew her way around the airport, backwards and forwards. I just followed along.

I was staring at a hot dog stand across the way when I ran into Alice, who had stopped abruptly in her tracks. While scooting backwards, I looked up to see what had caused her to stop so suddenly. I tried to suppress the gasp that I felt escaping from my lips.

Rosalie was standing in front of the terminal, a duffle bag heaved on one shoulder, a purse on the other. She looked as beautiful as ever even with ripped jeans and a plain t-shirt on. Her hair was pulled back into a disheveled ponytail, revealing her puffy, red eyes.

"What, what are you—?" I started to say as I glided towards her, magnetically.

"I knew you would be here, Emmett." She smiled as she slid her hand into mine. "I knew you would take the next flight to Paris when I told you about Henry. I knew you would and…I want to come with you."

She stared into my eyes, waiting patiently for a response. I could get lost in those beautiful blue eyes. I really could. "Only if Alice is okay with that."

Alice nodded, scooting away from the two of us. She smiled in an awkward, but kind way. "Good luck."

"Are you ready?" I asked Rosalie, once we were alone. I could feel her hand quivering in mine.

Rosalie nodded, slowly, moving her eyes from the ground up. "I am."

I smiled and held her hand to my lips. "Let's go."

I didn't feel nervous or scared or hesitant as I walked, hand in hand, with Rosalie towards the airplane. I didn't look back. I didn't feel the need to.


	10. Chapter 10

**Because the last chapter was super confusing, I decided to add a little more detail to hopefully help explain what happened more. If you still don't understand, message me and I'll be happy to explain it, all right? **

** And I'm kinda in a bind. I'm not sure whose perspective I should write from next: Bella's or Jasper's. I've written a bit of each perspective, still not knowing where exactly I'm going. So, I'm asking for a few volunteers who would like to help me out by reading the two perspectives and helping me decide which one I should continue writing. You can either review the story or message me, saying that you want to volunteer, and I'll find a way to send it to you :) Thanks in advance. Or, if you want to keep the next chapter a surprise, you can just tell me whose perspective you would prefer to read next and I'll definitely take that into consideration. :)))**

**The chapters are getting harder and harder to write. The story is now kind of an open book. I didn't plan any of this to happen from the get go so it was definitely harder for me to write it.**

**Anyway, I love all of the reviews :) I've said this before, but they are honestly what keeps me going. If I didn't get any, I probably wouldn't finish the story. And shout outs to chocomel26, KlumsyKitten, and LindseyRae, and Colorguardgirl01 for consistently leaving awesome reviews :))) You guys are awesome.**

**I hope you like this next chapter. It was insanely hard to write because like I said, I didn't know what I wanted to happen. And sorry about the cliffhanger in advance...**

Edward POV

A lonely, rainy day. A girl standing in the middle of the road, frozen in fear. Two boys in the wrong place at the wrong time. A car crashing into a tree.

These images swirled around and around inside of my head. I wanted them to go away. I wanted them to stop.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I could hear my fingers beating, impatiently, against the hospital bedside table. The sound of the tap tap tapping was all I could hear. I couldn't hear the baby crying outside in the waiting room or the sound of worried footsteps pacing in the hallway or even the sound of the door swish open and close.

"Edward?" a voice asked from behind.

My head swiveled around to see Alice, standing behind me, looking more delicate and fragile than ever. Her hands were clasped together, nervously, in front of her. Her knees were shaking, as if they might buckle underneath her any second. Her eyes were focused on Jasper and Jasper only.

In all of the three years I had attended Forks High School with Alice, I had never seen her so miserable and depressed. Not when Rosalie lied to the entire school about Emmett. Not when she was humiliated in front of the whole student body at the end of the year rally by Rosalie. Not even when Rosalie left Forks for Paris.

I couldn't help but feel for her, a girl that I didn't even know. A girl that, yesterday, I judged as a daft, shallow cheerleader with nothing, but her parent's money, going for her. A girl that Jasper had always liked, possibly even loved.

"How is he?" she murmured quietly as she walked around the bed, her eyes never leaving Jasper's face, and took a seat directly across from me. Once she sat down, she instantly put her hand on top of Jasper's, a sweet gesture that almost made me like her on the spot.

I shrugged, uncomfortably, still surprised by her warmth and kindness. I didn't want to say something that would hurt her. From what I could tell, she had already been through so much last night and this morning. "He is…doing better."

"Good." Alice smiled, softly. She finally took her eyes off of Jasper and concentrated them onto me. "Edward, you're a great friend."

I swallowed. I hadn't expected that. Not from her. Not from anyone. "Thanks."

She returned her gaze to Jasper, caressing his face with her hand, as if it were the most natural thing to do. She returned her hand to his arm when she suddenly gasped. She had seen the scars that ran up and down not only Jasper's arms, but his entire body; she had seen his burns.

I forced my eyes to the floor, unable to meet hers. It was _my_ fault, all of my fault.

"Edward," I heard her voice whisper, confused and shocked. She was waiting for me to respond, to explain. But I couldn't. I _really_ couldn't. "Edward, what…what happened to him?"

I didn't open my eyes. I didn't want to.

It felt like yesterday, still, when it happened although I knew, in my mind, that it was over a year ago. I could still see everything, precisely and perfectly, in my head as it had happened that day. It still haunted me, every single day, when I was awake, when I was asleep. I couldn't avoid it, no matter how hard I tried. And I knew, in my heart, I would never, ever forget.

Sometimes, I would stay awake at night, tossing and turning in my bed, trying not to fall asleep because I knew if I did, I would relive that day, that life altering moment, again and again. I was too weak to face it and too scared to remember.

I could hear raindrops falling, drumming against the windows. I could hear laughter. _His_ laughter. Loud and clear.

_"Edward," a voice called from beside me. "Edward."_

_My eyes snapped open, suddenly. A car windshield was in front of me, raindrops splattering onto it as the windshield wipers waved them away. My hands were gripping the steering wheel that was placed in front of me and my right foot was pressing lightly on the gas pedal. I turned my head slightly to face the person who had called my name._

_"You can't close your eyes when you're driving, man," Jasper said with a laugh. He was younger, a lot younger. Or, at least, he looked younger, about sixteen years old. He was wearing a short sleeved T-shirt, the last one he would ever wear. He had a beer in one hand and threw his head back, gulping down the rest. _

_"I don't think this is a good idea," I felt myself respond as I turned my eyes back to the road ahead._

_"Oh, relax." Jasper smashed the beer can with his foot and without another thought, threw it into the backseat. He pressed his face against the window, groaning. "I can't believe it's raining in the summer."_

_I rolled my eyes, stepping a little harder on the gas pedal. "It's Forks, Jasper. What did you expect?"_

_From the corner of my eye, I could see Jasper reaching into his pocket, pulling out a pack of Marlboros. He stuck one in his mouth, quickly, throwing the pack onto the dashboard and started patting his jacket and pants in search of his lighter._

_"Jasper," I said, exasperated. I didn't know how many times I would have to tell him to quit smoking before he actually did, but I was willing to keep at it if he was. _

_"Okay, okay; you caught me." Jasper raised both of his hands high in the air, as if he was surrendering. He stared at me for a moment, completely serious, before asking, "Do you want one?"_

_"No!" I snatched the box of cigs from the dashboard and rolled down my window, throwing it outside of the car without hesitating. _

_Jasper sighed, leaning the top of his head against the window. "Okay, minor setback. But I still have…"_

_Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it out of the window. I couldn't help but smile. _

_It was this moment that I wish I could take back._

_It was this moment that I wish never happened._

_It was this moment that haunted me in my dreams and in everything that I did._

_It was this moment that changed my life, his life, our lives forever._

_"Edward!" Jasper yelled. I had never heard Jasper raise his voice, never. I turned to look at him, his index finger pointing to something in the road. _

_"Oh, shit," I cursed as I felt my heartbeat increase. There was a girl walking across the street, her head parallel to the ground, her hands in her pockets. She was walking in the path of the car. _

_There seemed to be only one thing I _could_ do._

_Before I knew what I was doing, I swerved._

_Time seemed to slow down._

_I thought it would never end. _

_But it did. _

_Finally._

_With a loud thump._

_My eyes were closed still when I felt raindrops falling on my face. I blinked several times before opening them completely. I could see a face, a girl's face, in front of mine. She looked concerned._

_"Where's…where's Jasper?" I murmured. I still hadn't caught my breath. My heart was still beating rapidly as if it were about to burst._

_The girl's eyebrows furrowed. "Who?"_

_"Jasper," I insisted. "_Jasper_."_

_My breath suddenly hitched. My heart stopped beating. My blood froze. _

_Before I could think, I stood up and started to run towards the car when I heard a loud explosion. All of a sudden, the front of the car was in flames. Big, billowy flames. And Jasper was in the front seat._

_I sprinted towards the car, with no thought for self preservation, and only stopped when I was beside the passenger seat. I opened the door, rapidly, burning my fingers in the process and stopped, stunned, at what I saw inside._

_Jasper was slumped over, lying in the car, completely unconscious. He looked so peaceful, so serene. I was reaching over to pull him out when I saw the flames running up and down his body. _

_I closed my eyes, unable to look at my friend, my best friend, as I pulled him out of the car by his armpits. I dragged him far, far away from the car before stopping. I quickly pulled off my jacket and started to pound the flames in an attempt to extinguish them. The girl, who had joined me, did the same. _

_Soon, I heard sirens in the distance, coming closer and closer. I didn't stop. The flames were almost out. _Almost_. _

_When a man pulled me away from Jasper, I started to scream. And I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop until all of a sudden, everything went black._

_I could hear the heart monitor beeping beside me when I opened my eyes in the ambulance. I looked to my right to see the girl sitting next to me, her hand in mine._

_"What…what's your name?" I croaked, my voice hoarse. I bit my lip, to keep myself from saying anything else._

_The girl smiled, nicely. "Bella, Bella Swan."_

_I could taste blood in my mouth as I spat, "Bella Swan, I hate you." _

_I felt my eyes closing involuntarily and when I opened them again, hours later, she wasn't there. _

"Edward," a voice called to me. It was a kind, gentle voice. And it was close.

I opened my eyes, slowly, allowing them to adjust to the bright hospital lights. Alice was squatting down next to me, her hand in mine.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I could feel the concern emanating in her voice.

It took me several moments to respond. I wanted to nod my head and excuse myself for the bathroom. But, instead, I murmured, "No," and felt myself slowly falling apart in her arms.

I closed my eyes, tightly, as I hugged Alice closer. She was the one and only thing keeping me together. She was the one and only thing that made everything go away. She made me feel safe.

I didn't knew how much time had passed when I finally pulled away from her embrace, but I knew that Jasper had been right all along. Alice wasn't just any girl. She was _the_ girl. And she was perfect, perfect for him.

"It's going to be okay," Alice reassured me, so honestly that I believed her wholeheartedly.

I nodded, completely under her spell. I didn't know what exactly I was doing when I leaned in closer to her and pressed my lips against hers. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, unable to let go.

I only stopped when I heard a familiar voice whisper, "Edward…"


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I've been gone an incredibly long time, I know. I'm sorry! I just didn't know what to write to be entirely honest. So I decided I needed a break. And, one day, out of the blue, it hit me. It's hilarious because for the whole time I was gone, I was debating between Jasper's POV or Bella's. And I ended up choosing Alice's. Oh, life. Thanks to everyone who offered to help; I promise next time I will take it instead of totally secluding myself.**

**And I've decided to recognize some awesome reviewers every chapter. This way, I can hopefully recognize every single one of you because you're all incredibly amazing :) This chapter, I would love to make shout outs to bookfan6196 (I hate bad grammar too), SarcasticLost (for the review that made me laugh and for offering to help me), amandakins (for her enthusiasm), and fabm21 (for her fabulous questions). And to everyone else who messaged me asking questions about the previous super confusing chapter. I'm a little backed up because I haven't been on this thing for a month or so now. I will try to answer your questions ASAP, promise :)**

**I hope all of you enjoy this chapter because let me tell you, it took a lot for me to write it. It was extremely hard.**

**And, as you know, reviews/questions/suggestions/criticism is always appreciated :)**

Alice POV

"Edward…" I heard Jasper's voice whisper, quietly. I could feel Edward's eyes slowly moving in Jasper's direction, locking onto his face. He stared at Jasper, blankly, for a moment, unable to recognize him. I was facing Jasper, blush spreading across my usually creamy complexion. I swallowed, loudly, and started to open my mouth to explain.

But he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want it explained to him. He didn't want to understand.

"Get out," he commanded, his voice stronger than ever. He pointed with a weak hand towards the door. He wanted us out of his sight.

I moved towards Jasper, quickly, an arm outstretched. My eyes, now shining sorrow, distress, and regret, were starting to well with tears. I bit my quivering lips, trying to stop myself from crying.

He couldn't even look at me. He turned his head in the other direction, towards the window, closing his eyes tightly. His voice sounded harsher than before. "Leave."

My eyes never left the floor as I exited the room, leaving Jasper and Edward alone.

One hour. Twenty two minutes. And three seconds.

One hour. Twenty two minutes. And four seconds.

One hour. Twenty two minutes. And five seconds.

My eyes were focused, solely, on the oversized digital clock in the waiting room. It had felt like eternity since Edward had kissed me, since Jasper couldn't bare to look at me, since I had left the hospital room without a fight, too ashamed to even stand up for myself. It had felt like eternity, but it had only been one hour, twenty two minutes, and six seconds, and counting.

I planned to charge back into the room and demand Jasper to speak to me. I planned to call Emmett and ask him about his search for his long, not so lost son. I planned to pay a visit to the local mall for some serious retail therapy. I planned to drop off a big tub of Bella's favorite chocolate ice cream at the Swan residence. I had planned to execute all of these things today, but every single one of the plans fell through.

I couldn't move from the tacky, faux leather chair in the waiting room long enough to drag myself to the snack machine five feet away. I couldn't pull my thoughts away from Jasper's angry, but hurt face long enough to focus on anything else. I couldn't feel anything, not my hands on the armrests, not my feet shaking on the tile floor, not my head pressed against the plain, white walls. I just _couldn't_.

It had been one hour, twenty five minutes, and nine seconds when Edward appeared in the waiting room, scanning the various guests, with two cans of Pepsi in his hands. When his eyes finally fell on me, he nodded to me in acknowledgement and dragged his body towards me. He wasn't taking it well, either.

Edward had barely settled in his seat when I heard myself asking in a hoarse, weak voice, "How is he?"

Without moving his eyes from the floor, he opened one of the Pepsi cans without thinking. He closed his eyes, taking a long, slow sip. "Not good. Not good at all."

When he opened his eyes, he stretched out his arm, offering me a can. I took it from him although I had no intention of drinking it. I wasn't thirsty. I wasn't much of anything.

"Don't…don't blame yourself, Alice." Edward swallowed, harshly. He still stared at the floor as he spoke; it was too hard for him otherwise. His voice strained as he continued, choking back tears. "It is _all_ of my fault."

Instinctually, I wrapped an arm around him, trying my best to comfort him. I didn't know how much it would help, considering I wasn't the teeniest bit happy myself. I leaned my head against his shoulder, breathing in and out, deeply. "It is no one's fault."

"_No_." Edward shook his head, fiercely, his emerald eyes ablaze. "_I_ fuck up everything. I have hurt every single person that I have ever loved."

I shook my head, just as fiercely. "That isn't true, Edward."

He grunted, pulling away from me. "Just stick around and you'll find out."

I sighed, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair. It felt like I was continuously fighting a losing battle. Sometimes, I wondered why I bothered.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Edward's eyes were focused on me, intently. He was leaning forward, closer to me, so close that I could smell his very distinct, yet indescribable scent.

"I don't believe you." I folded my arms across my chest, demonstrating that I stood firmly against his argument. I cocked an eyebrow, challenging him.

He shook his head, laughing harshly. "Do you want proof?"

Without another word, he pulled a picture out of a hidden pocket inside of his jacket. He held the picture with two careful fingers, admiring it for a moment, before shoving it in my face.

I replicated the care he had shown the picture, taking it with my thumb and index finger, cautiously, as if it would self destruct. I squinted, examining the picture as best I could. It was a picture taken five or so years ago; its once sharp, pointy edges were now rounded and soft. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Edward cared for the picture, and the people in it very much, so much that he carried it around with him everywhere.

My eyes moved to the two people standing in the center of the picture, hugging each other tightly, smiles pressed on both of their faces. One was a woman, her long hair was dark with unruly curls, going on and on for miles. Her nose was small and delicate as were her lips, hands, and feet. Her eyes were a shade of bright green, sparkling and glittering in the sunlight. She was absolutely beautiful. Standing next to her, with an arm wrapped around her, was a small boy, maybe twelve or thirteen years old. He was chubby and small, without a single hair on his head. He was smiling largely, looking truly happy, as if he had everything he could have ever asked for. He had inherited his eyes from his mother, a sparkling, beautiful shade of emerald.

And as I stared at the picture, I felt my mouth drop open. I looked up at Edward, his emerald eyes shimmering in the bright hospital lights. I couldn't believe it.

Edward nodded, closing his eyes. "Yes, that's me."

"And your mother," I asserted, without any doubt in my mind. I glanced down at the picture, once again. "She is beautiful, Edward."

He swallowed, his eyes roving around the waiting room. He was avoiding my eyes. He couldn't look at me. "She is dead."

I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from saying the quintessential "I'm so sorry". If I had learned anything from my grandfather's death, I had learned that hearing an "I'm so sorry", no matter how genuine or sincere it was, never, ever helped. Instead I blurted out the most insensitive question, "How?"

He could barely choke out his next two words. "Breast cancer."

There were no words. There were no words that I could say to make Edward feel better. There were no words that I could say to comfort him. There were absolutely no words. So I didn't say anything; I just gently placed my hand on his and squeezed it, letting him know that I was there.

After a long period of silence, I could tell that he was finally ready to speak. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to say to me, but I knew, with all of my heart, that I would listen to him.

"When I was twelve, the doctor told me and my parents that I had leukemia." He swallowed, again. He rested his palm against his forehead, shutting his eyes, tightly, as if the memory was too much for him to bear. "I went through some treatments, lost all of my hair, and gained twenty pounds."

He drew in a deep breath before continuing. His breaths were so jagged and uneven it sounded as if he were suffocating on air. "My mother found out she had breast cancer three months later, but she refused to receive any treatments. She and my father couldn't afford them...not after paying for my treatments. Instead, she stayed in the hospital with me, every day, and took care of me. She wouldn't leave; it just made her sicker. But she wouldn't leave."

His voice grew quieter and quieter as he went on. His fists were clenched; his lips were set in a grimace. His eyes were dark and cold, distant and faraway. He blinked, suddenly, finally finding his way back to the present.

"Jasper, he is such a good friend. He knew that my mom was suffering and I don't know how he did it, but he paid for her treatment." Edward smiled for a moment at the thought. Then, his smile vanished, as if he had just remembered the end of his story.

"As her health was getting better, mine worsened She insisted on staying with me instead of continuing treatments and…" He paused for a moment, unable to go on. His face was contorted into the most pained expression that I had ever seen. It looked as if it just hurt to breathe.

"She died several months later. Because of _me_." Now, his voice was laced with venom, drowning out the sadness that once inhibited it. He shook his head. "I would do anything to have her back. _Anything_."

Silence filled the room, once again. I didn't look at him. He didn't look at me. We both sat together, yet alone, in the waiting room, avoiding each other's eyes. We were afraid of what we would see.

"My dad started to work a lot. He couldn't stand being around me; I reminded him too much of her. Now, he is a millionaire…but not a father." He was still avoiding my eyes, afraid that I would validate his hate for himself. His voice was so quiet that I didn't know if he was talking to me or himself. "He hates me."

He wiped his eyes with unforgiving hands. "And now, Jasper does, too."

I squeezed Edward's hand, expressing my disagreement and the fact that I was still there, listening to him, all at once. I tried to smile when he turned to look at me, but I couldn't lift the corners of my lips even a little.

"He was always there for me. And I repay him by kissing the girl of his dreams." The intense look in his eyes scared me. It was a look of lunacy or self hatred or perhaps both. He brushed a frantic hand through his hair, relentlessly. He looked desperate like a man who had just realized that he had lost everything.

"I have to go," he screamed in a whisper. Without warning, he jumped up from his seat and started running in the direction of the parking lot.

Two hours. Fifteen minutes. Nine seconds.

Two hours. Fifteen minutes. Ten seconds.

Two hours. Fifteen minutes. Eleven seconds.

After two hours, fifteen minutes, and twelve seconds, I decided to sneak back into Jasper's room, just to check on him. To make sure he was alive and breathing. To make sure he was okay.

I opened the door, slowly, knowing that it was prone to creak, and tiptoed inside, careful to close it, gently. I snuck over to his bedside where he was laying, peacefully, like an angel. He was beautiful, so beautiful, inside and out.

I smiled as I placed my hand onto his. It felt perfect. It was perfect.

I closed my eyes. Everything was perfect when it was just the two of us.

As I drove home, I couldn't erase the look of sheer panic, pain, and despair in Edward's eyes. It haunted me as I wove around the streets of Forks so I decided within the first five minutes of my drive home that I would stop at Edward's house, check up on him, and take it from there. The only problem was I had absolutely no idea where his house was and the only person who would know was lying asleep in a hospital bed.

It didn't take me long to find Edward's house. Living in a small town does have its advantages, although few and far between.

I saw his Volvo parked haphazardly outside of the mansion he called home. Coming from a guy that felt antsy if his AP Calculus graphs weren't completely perfect, straight lines, it didn't seem like Edward to park in that manner unless something was wrong.

Feeling a rather strange, anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach, I parked my car on the sidewalk and walked up a long pathway to the front door. I couldn't help but feel like I was a character in a horror movie. I could hear the eerie music playing softly in the background. I started to wonder if I was the stupid girl walking into a trap. Every movie had one.

As I started to near the front steps, I pushed the thoughts out of my head and hoped to God not.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

I stopped in my tracks, instinctively. My heart beating, wildly, in my chest. I could hear the eerie music grow louder and louder.

The door was swung wide open.

Without any hesitation, I rushed inside, my heart pounding inside of my chest. I stopped, shortly as I looked around, finding everything in its place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Until I heard the sound of water.

Running water.

From upstairs.

I quickly dashed up the stairs, following the sound of the water. I could hear the eerie, dramatic music begin to heighten and grow exponentially louder. I hoped there wasn't someone screaming at the television screen, telling me to go back.

The music in my head stopped as the sound of the water reached an all time high.

And then, nothing. It was quiet, too quiet.

I swallowed, nervously, as I tiptoed down the long, secluded hallway in front of me. The only sound I could hear was my breathing, sharply in and out, in and out.

Halfway down the corridor, I felt something, squishing underneath my feet and between my toes. My heart skipped a beat as I lowered my eyes.

I sighed a breath of relief as I realized it was water, just water.

I stopped, dead in my tracks, as I followed the water with my eyes. It was rushing out from underneath a chipped, faded door on my right.

I clenched my fist, nervously, as I quickly pressed my ear against the door, listening for anything.

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

"Edward!," I whispered, my voice coming out louder and more high pitched than I expected.

But there was no answer.

All I could hear was silence.

I started pounding on the door with all of my might. I didn't know what was happening behind that door. What I _did _know that it wasn't anything good. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I didn't get that door open.

All of a sudden, the door creaked open. A wave of water spilled out onto my feet and the floor.

I gulped, suddenly afraid to see what was inside. A part of me didn't want to know. It wanted me to walk away and run back to my porsche and drive far, far away. The other part of me knew I had to look. I had to know.

I peeked inside of the door. All I could see was a bathtub with water pouring over the edges.

I pushed the door open a little wider, still afraid to swing the door open and reveal what was lurking inside.

I caught my breath as I saw water spilling over the sides of the bathtub.

This wasn't ordinary water.

It wasn't even water at all.

It was blood.

I closed my eyes as I pushed the door open all of the way. When I opened them, I couldn't help but let out a startled scream.


	12. Chapter 12

**There are a lot of twists and turns in this story as all of you know. This chapter is no exception. I promise there will be lots and lots of surprises next chapter :) Don't give up on me.**

**There were SOOO many awesome reviews :)))) Unfortunately, I can only recognize a few or my hand would fall off. This week's amazing and totally awesome reviewers are ZombieKunt520, mel-rox25, bellaklutz2010, .. (love your username btw), Hopeless-Romantic1702, and orangensaft. I love all of you :)**

**Oh, and btw, please don't kill me. Remember SURPRISES next chapter.  
**

Rosalie POV

_Dear Alice,_

I stopped for the billionth time, pen in hand, unable to conjure up the right words. It wasn't that I didn't have anything I wanted to say to her; that wasn't the problem in the slightest. I had _so_ much to say to her. I didn't even know where to begin, or even how to.

I knew the basics. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to tell her that I never spent a day in Europe without thinking of our friendship. I wanted to tell her that I couldn't forget the look on her face when I yelled and screamed at her. I wanted to tell her that she was and always would be my best friend.

If only I could write everything I wanted to say to her down on paper. But it wasn't that simple. Life never seemed to be.

When I left Forks, I made a huge mess without any intention of ever cleaning it up. And here I was, trying to clean it up with my favorite pen and a piece of paper.

I know writing one measly, little letter wouldn't solve every single problem, but it was a start. And, for me, starting things was as safe as hurling myself off of a cliff. It was dangerous, scary, and unpredictable; three words that frightened me, but ironically, described me.

_I just wanted to say_

There were trillions of different ways I could have finished that sentence. But I didn't. I couldn't.

I heard a rustle in the seat next to me. I allowed my eyes to float towards the noise. Emmett, who had been busy in the bathroom for the past half an hour, was settling back into his seat with a couple of snacks clenched in his fists. He pulled down the tray placed on the seat in front of him, throwing the peanuts and pretzels onto it without a second thought.

"Rose," he finally said, breaking the silence as he sorted the peanuts and pretzels. "Do not, I repeat, do _not_ eat the lasagna under any circumstances."

I shook my head with a laugh, finally placing my pen down. "Do I _want_ to know?"

Emmett grinned, throwing a bag of pretzels onto my tray. "Unless you want to spend half an hour in the bathroom—"

"Emmett!" I exclaimed a little too loudly, causing several passengers around us to stare. I waited until all of them turned away before whacking Emmett on the chest. "That is disgusting."

"It _is_." Emmett nodded his head, seriously. "Promise me, you won't eat the lasagna under any circumstances."

I rolled my eyes, picking my pen up, before responding to a patient Emmett, "Yes, yes. I promise."

I grabbed the piece of paper from the tray, rereading its contents over again. The second time through I couldn't help but feel discouraged and a little annoyed as I felt Emmett peering over my shoulder.

"What?" I barked, glaring at him, causing the same passengers to look over in our direction, once again. I ignored them, this time, and waited for a response, not so patiently, from Emmett, who seemed unfazed by my mood swings.

"You're still writing that letter to her, huh?" Emmett smiled, encouragingly, and placed his hand over mine. "You know she will forgive you, right?"

I closed my eyes, sighing. "I don't know, Emmett. I really don't know."

"Rosalie, she is your best friend. Of course, she will." Emmett sounded pretty confident. And for a moment, I believed him, totally and completely, mainly for two reasons. One, he knew Alice better than I did these days. And two, he was a terrible liar. I distinctly recall always teasing him about his inability to lie, but now, I found it comforting.

"Emmett, I messed up. I messed everything up." I shook my head. I didn't know how Alice could ever forgive me. I couldn't even forgive me. I clapped my hand to my forehead in frustration.

"Rosalie." Emmett paused for a moment, causing me to look at him. When I did, I immediately regretted it. His brown eyes were trusting and penetrating at the same time; it was as if he could hear what I was thinking and feel what I was feeling. In my whole, entire life, I had never felt as vulnerable as I had in that exact moment. And I hated feeling vulnerable more than anything else. "Just write from the heart."

I sighed, almost making a comment about how cliché he was being. But before I did, it hit me that what he said was true. Cliché or not, it was true.

Emmett was right. God, he was right. And as horrible as it was to admit that, I felt somewhat relieved. I didn't have to know all of the answers. I didn't even need to ask the questions. Because, sometimes, that's what friends are for. Providing answers when you need them and knowing the questions before you ask. Plain and simple.

But then again, Emmett wasn't an ordinary friend. Well, he was more. He had _always_ been more.

I shook that thought out of my head. I didn't want to even think about Emmett and me becoming something.

I could hear more rustling coming from Emmett. He slowly stood up and stooped down to my level, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I'm going to steal some more snacks."

I sighed, again, reclining against my seat. Four more hours until we land in Paris. Four more hours to write this letter.

_Dear Alice,_

_I'm sorry. I can't even put into words how sorry I am for everything I did to you. You were my best friend and I betrayed you and your trust. I don't know if you will ever forgive me, but I hope that you can find it in that big, beautiful heart of yours to. I need you right now, more than ever, Al._

_I love you so much._

_I hope we can act out our favorite scenes from our favorite movies again._

_I hope we can shop together in Paris one day like we always dreamed._

_I hope we can be the Maids of Honor at each other's weddings._

_I hope we can be the best of friends again.  
_

_Rose_

I waited, anxiously, for Emmett to finish reading my letter to Alice. I paced back and forth, back and forth, next to the baggage claim.

I could see Emmett start to move towards me, my letter in his right hand. I felt my heart start to beat incredibly fast in my chest. What did he think?

"It was beautiful," Emmett breathed as I let out a sigh of relief. He handed the letter back to me with a smile on his face. I snatched the letter from him and folded it, neatly, into a square and placed it into my pocket.

When I looked closer at Emmett's face, I noticed his eyes were a little red and puffy. I felt the urge to tease him, but I bit my tongue. He had been so understanding and kind towards me. It wouldn't kill me to do the same.

_I'm bringing sexy back._

_Them other boys don't know how to act._

Emmett pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket, looking unabashed, and proceeded to answer his phone with a "Whasssssup?"

I shook my head as I walked closer to the baggage claim, searching for my four suitcases. Behind me, I could hear Emmett whisper, an urgent edge in his voice, "Alice, _Alice_, calm down."

I fought the desire to turn around and snatch the phone out of his hand.

"Rose," I heard Emmett call, turning around instantly. His brow was furrowed. He looked worried. He held out the phone to me. "Alice needs to talk to you."

I didn't even hesitate before taking the phone out of his hand. All of my worries about my friendship with Alice were out the window. All I was worried about now was her.

I could hear hysterical crying on the other end of the phone. Oh, no. I could already tell that this was bad, really, really bad. I had never heard Alice cry like this before and I never wanted to, again.

I tried to keep my voice calm and collected as I said, "Alice. Alice, what is wrong?"

There was indistinct murmuring on the other end of the line. I could hear splashing water and frenzied sobs.

"Alice, I can't help you if you don't tell me what is wrong." I felt my voice rise in panic. I had never heard Alice this distressed before. Something had to be terribly wrong.

The panicked sobs finally stopped on the other end. I could hear Alice trying to regulate her breathing, in and out, in and out.

"He's…he's…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She was breathing heavily as if gasping for air.

"Who is _he_, Alice?" I asked, firmly. I tried to stop my mind from whizzing around and around in circles. Every possible scenario flew in and out of my head, each one more agonizing than the last. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on asking the most simple and basic questions. It would make everything easier for Alice and me.

"Edward," she sputtered as she started to cry again. I could hear water splashing, frantically, as if she were trying desperately to move something.

All of a sudden, my throat was dry. I swallowed. I didn't want to know the answer to the question I was about to ask, but I had to ask. "Alice, what happened to Edward?"

I could hear Alice scream as if she was in excruciating pain. The splashing of the water got louder and louder. It sounded as if she were growing more and more desperate with every movement, with every scream, with every sob.

"Did you call 911?" I asked, my voice started to rise, again, in panic. I felt my heart beat faster and faster in my chest; the_ thump thump thump_ was ringing in my ears.

There was no response, only indistinct screaming. The sound was heartbreaking; it was desperate and confused and hopeless and agonizing all at the same time.

"Alice! Alice!" I yelled, louder and louder. People were beginning to stare, but I couldn't care less.

An agonizing sob came from the other end of the line. Alice's voice was faltering as if she had given up hope. "Help...us...please."

"Alice!" I felt my throat start to burn.

And then, she screamed something I would never, ever forget.

"Edward is…dead!"


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so, so sorry it has taken me so long to update! College is time consuming! But thank you so so so so much for being patient :) I love all of you so much, especially bethaanny, MZP, amandakins, and orangensaft. You guys leave awesome reviews :))))) This was a really hard chapter to write. I hope you enjoy it! And tell me what you think.**

Bella POV

I was never an athlete in school. I could barely run a mile under eleven minutes. I didn't function well in team sports or individual sports. I was never athletic _period_.

But when I parked my car in front of Edward's house, I ran faster than I ever had before. I leaped over the front steps gracefully, barged through the front door mercilessly, and sprinted up the stairs as if my life depended on it because, although my life didn't depend on it, Edward's did. And only that mattered.

I didn't stop to breathe until I was standing in front of the bathroom door, my favorite pair of shoes sinking further and further in the blood stained carpet as my heart dropped. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists, unable to even comprehend what I was seeing. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, uncontrollably. How…how could this be? How?

When I opened my eyes, the horrifying image was still in front of me. It was real. And I was terrified. My heart started beating hysterically in my chest.

I swallowed, hesitantly, as I took a step forward with my right foot. The squish of the footstep made me wince; the blood had seeped through the holes in my shoes and socks, right down to the skin. I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming.

Edward was beautiful.

He was absolutely and completely perfect.

His bronzed hair glistened even under the dimming lights.

His pale skin seemed softer, more fragile than before.

His eyes were closed as if he were in a deep, relaxing sleep.

And his perfectly shaped lips were blue.

Alice was cradling him in her arms, completely oblivious to me. She was leaning over him, covering the upper half of his body, sobbing frantically. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she had lost her mind.

"Al," I whispered, my voice raspier than I had expected. I could hear the pain in my own voice. I could feel it. And it was taking over my body.

Alice stopped sobbing for a moment, straightening her body. She turned to face me with puffy, swollen eyes and a runny nose. I had never seen Alice like…this. Ever.

"He _will_ be okay." I didn't know who I was trying to convince more, me or her. Or him. If he could hear me. I hoped he could hear me.

"No, no," Alice murmured, starting to cry again. Each and every strangled sob felt like a punch, a punch to the gut, a punch to the neck, a punch to the face. With every sob, the pain increased.

I shook my head, determined. "He _will_, Alice. The ambulance is coming."

Alice was leaning over Edward, once again, crying into his chest, before she growled, venomously, "You don't understand."

"Then help me understand," I insisted, stomping my foot, childishly.

I always thought the school system was supposed to prepare me for life. I thought a vital part of their mission statement was to educate their students. And by educating them, prepare them for the future and what was to come.

Nothing could have ever prepared me for what I was about to see. No calculus class, no biology class, no English class. _Nothing_.

When Alice stood and walked next to me, I had only seen one thing.

A huge, deep cut slashed across Edward's chest.

My breathing slowed. My heart started pounding. My head started swirling.

And that was before my eyes ventured lower.

Once they had, I wished they never did.

Deep, bloody gashes marked every inch of Edward's body, varying in size and depth. From this, I could only draw one conclusion: Edward had wanted to die, and in the most brutal and bloody way.

I swallowed, suddenly feeling light headed. As my body started to feel weaker and weaker, I held onto the doorway for support. I could barely hold on, my eyes were unable to look away from Edward's mutilated body. I could barely breathe.

I heard the wail of the ambulance, approaching closer and closer. But it was no use. He was dead.

Without any warning, I collapsed onto my knees, unable to stand any longer. I found myself beside Edward, my hand thrust onto his. And for a moment, I couldn't help but feel that this was the way it was meant to be. I was meant to be with him, and he with me.

I could feel a smile spreading across my face as I reached out a hand to Edward's face, grazing it softly.

He was beautiful, so beautiful.

Inhumanly beautiful.

Inhumanly beautiful and cold as ice.

And he was meant to be with me.

Nothing in my heart doubted this.

But I could never know if my love was requited.

He was gone…forever.

The two of us would never, ever have a chance at love.

We would never have a chance to learn each other's favorite colors.

Or laugh about things only the two of us would understand.

Or argue over the silliest things and make up ten minutes afterwards.

Or kiss each other underneath the stars.

Or congratulate one another on a job promotion or a raise.

Or decide to spend the rest of our lives together and live happily ever after.

None of this would ever happen.

None of this could ever happen.

I could feel my heart being ripped from my chest, bit by bit. Each rip was more excruciating than the last. I closed my eyes as tears drizzled down my face.

Fate was a wondrous thing, tricky and spontaneous yet wondrous and beautiful. And life was cruel and unjust and abrupt, ending at any given moment without warning.

I was positive that fate had brought me to Forks and to Edward. And I was positive that the two of us were destined to be together, but without warning, life had taken over.

I slipped my hand into Edward's, holding it tighter and tighter.

Life was unfair.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

Life was cruel.

I pressed Edward's hand to my face.

Life was full of hope.

I smiled, widely, as I held Edward's hand, light and warm, against my cheek.

All of a sudden, Edward's head began to move slowly from side to side, as if he were looking for something or someone. His voice was below a whisper when he said something that I would never forget.

"Bella."


	14. Chapter 14

**So, I love every single person who reads this and reviews :) especially randa111, AngieEllaCullen, LeXXXieee, chrisso, and islealice. The five reviews you left forced me into writing more even when I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen. And to everyone who reads this and doesn't review, I love you just a tad bit less ;) I hope this chapter makes at least a little sense because I felt really crazy and out of it while writing. **

**This chapter, to warn you, is a tad crazy and out there. You might not understand it at first, but I hope it will all come together when you finish reading it. I hope it will surprise you and I'm totally open to answering any questions you might have because I'm sure you'll have plenty. Anddd I tried to post a link in this thingy, but FanFiction won't let me. Waaaah. So, I'll just leave you with this piece of advice: you might need to look up some 1920s slang to understand this chapter ;)**

"Edward, wake up," a voice whispered, softly, in my ear. I felt a gentle nudge on the side of my arm. "Edward."

I groaned, as I slowly opened my eyes, instantly rubbing them with my fists. I felt terrible, worse than terrible, as if I had been mercilessly stabbed several times in the chest and then some. I pressed my hand to my head, closing my eyes again, trying to push the pain away.

"You okay?" the voice asked, clearly concerned.

I took a deep breath in, turning to face the voice with a scowl. "Does it look like everything is Jake?"

Jasper allowed his eyes to drift from the road towards me, raising an eyebrow, with a mischievous grin crossing his face. "If you ask me, you were asking for it."

"Nobody is asking you." I rolled my eyes, shifting them towards the car window. I couldn't help but smile as I took in Chicago; all of the pain coursing through my body fluttered away. We flew past the large, grey buildings that my father hoped I would work in one day. Newsies stood on street corners, shouting the latest news at the top of their lungs with newspapers clenched in their fists. Men in suits and fedoras weaved effortlessly through the crowds of people, briefcases and the world in their hands. Women walked, elegantly, on the sidewalks with newfound confidence.

"You know what would make you happier?"

My eyebrows furrowed, wondering if I wanted to know. I knew I didn't; Jasper's opinions on my life were rarely ever realistic and even less so helpful, but I knew that I would hear what he had to say, regardless. I took a deep breath, calming myself and asked, "What?"

Jasper made a sharp right turn, causing me to fall against the window onto my bruised side, as he answered, simply, "A doll."

I scoffed as I kept my eyes focused on the city outside of the window and gently clutched my injured side. Of course, Jasper would suggest a woman of _all_ things to me. He didn't have any problems with women or getting them; he was a pilot for God's sake. If that didn't explain it, his good looks, charm, and wealth did. I, on the other hand, was awkward, moody, and volatile around not only women, but people in general. Well, everyone, except for one person.

As if he had read my thoughts, Jasper added, "And not that mystery woman of yours. Drop her."

My mystery woman, as Jasper liked to call her, was a young woman that I had admired from afar at the bar that I worked at. She was beautiful, more beautiful than anything I had ever seen before, in her flapper dress with her hair swept into a low bun. She was elegant, classy, and sophisticated, a woman of only my brightest dreams.

I sighed, allowing my forehead to fall against the window, and instantly regretted it. I gazed at my reflection in the side mirror, revealing several cuts and bruises scattered across my forehead and face.

"She isn't any good for you, Edward." Jasper turned towards me, his eyes running over the cuts and bruises on my face. The troubled expression on his usually carefree face looked strange and unfamiliar to me.

"No," I snapped, banging my head against the window, unhappily. I groaned as I cradled my head with my hands, nursing a reopened wound on my forehead. I knew I had never had a real conversation with her but I knew, in my heart, that she was my soulmate, the one for me. And I knew that Jasper, although he was my closest friend and the person who knew me best, didn't understand this. He moved around from woman to woman to woman with no feelings attached while I had never spoken more than pleasantries with a woman. "She is perfect."

I could tell Jasper was looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. Sometimes, I swear he could tell exactly what I was feeling. I hoped, for once, he couldn't tell; I didn't want him to know how vulnerable I was when it came to her. I didn't want him to know how I loved her so much. I didn't want him to know; it was private, personal even.

"Edward," Jasper started, uneasily, as if he were tip toeing on thin ice. He paused for a moment, trying to choose the right words. "I know you feel…_strongly_ about her, but you could have been _killed_."

He opened his mouth to continue when I placed my hand in the air, signaling that I didn't want to hear what he had to say. I knew I had already told myself everything and more, both negative and positive, about my situation with her. "I know it's hard for you to understand Jasper, but…"

"No, Edward, _you_ don't understand. I'm on the level." He placed his hand on my shoulder, firmly, causing me to wince. "Look at the pain you're in."

I shook my head, closing my eyes, tightly as I started to remember. Punch to the stomach. Punch to the face, again and again and again and again. My hands covered my face in defense. I heard screams. When I dared to open my eyes, there was blood, everywhere.

Jasper sighed as he turned to face the road again. "She may not be bad news, but her gangster of a boyfriend is."

"You know who he is?" I asked, my throat suddenly dry. I closed my eyes, again, as his face flashed in my mind. He had long, stringy blonde hair, ice cold, blue eyes, and a fierce growl suppressed on his sharp, angular face. He was the most terrifying man I had ever seen.

"Yes, you do, too." Jasper turned to the right, making sure to make a smooth, slow turn. With his right hand, he grabbed a newspaper and held it up to my face. On the front page, his face was glaring at me underneath huge, bold letters that read: Gangster James Wanted; his ice cold eyes sent shivers throughout my body even in the picture of a newspaper.

I snatched the paper out of his hands, looking over the article in disbelief. James was wanted for charges of murder, assault, theft, and selling alcohol. "She is dating James?"

Jasper nodded as he pressed lightly on the gas pedal. "Now you're on the trolley."

I sighed. I knew he was right even if I didn't want to believe he was.

The car was filled with silence for several moments; I expected to Jasper to break it any moment. There wasn't anything he hated more than awkward silence.

"Or," Jasper continued, taking in the fact that I didn't like where the conversation veered, "you could quit that job of yours."

I chuckled, shaking my head from side to side. "Not everyone can fly planes for a living, Jasper."

"That is for damn sure." Jasper nodded his head in agreement. He, along with everyone else in our generation, believed that pilots were an elite group of smart and attractive young men. He laughed aloud, probably at the thought of me flying an airplane, throwing his head back, bringing me back to reality. Some friend he was.

"Watch the road," I snapped, glaring at him. I slumped lower in my seat, pouting, as I watched the buildings pass outside of the car window. "Stop, _stop_."

Without any hesitation, Jasper slammed on the breaks and looked towards me in confusion. I rolled my eyes as I opened the car door and stepped out. "_This_ is my stop."

"Oh, is it?" Jasper asked, mockingly, a large grin crossing his face. His eyes started to follow a petite, young woman fluttering across the street behind me.

I huffed, annoyed that he couldn't give me his full attention for more than a minute. I slammed the car door with a snarl and stomped away. "You know, you're going to cause a car accident one day."

"Edward."

I closed my eyes, clenching my fists, and swiveled back around. "What!"

"Don't take any wooden nickels." His face was solemn for a moment before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, thanks for that, Jasper," I mumbled, sarcastically, waving him away with a flick of my hand.

"Attaboy." He tipped his fedora at me, his blue eyes sparkling. "Now, beat it."

* * *

"A Cosmopolitan, please," a familiar voice cooed in my ear.

I blinked, several times, before I looked in the direction of the seductive voice. I held back a grimace as I took in the woman standing in front of me: tall, blonde, and gorgeous dressed in a flawlessly designed, skin tight, fire engine red dress. I sighed with a fake smile spreading across my face as I greeted her, "Hello, Tanya."

"Edward, always nice to see you." She smiled, widely, revealing her perfect, white teeth as she slithered towards the bar. She leaned over it, slowly, placing her hand firmly on mine. Her bright blue eyes locked onto mine.

I cleared my throat, uncomfortably, as I loosened my tie, looped around my neck, with my free hand. I choked on my words several times before I had the ability to finally ask, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Tanya shrugged, allowing her blue eyes to wander the club. Her eyes widened as she turned away from me, focusing her gaze on the entrance. "Oh, look who's here."

Without a thought, my eyes floated across the club, past the bar, past Tanya, past the dance floor, to the entrance where a woman, a beautiful woman was standing, surrounded by a horde of young men. I suppressed a gasp as I realized that it was my mystery woman. She was even more beautiful than I remembered.

Her face was pale, yet luminescent, glowing in the dim lights of the bar. Her eyes were a deep, dark brown, giving her an air of mystery and intrigue. Her lips were smothered in a deep, red lipstick, making her simply irresistible. Her luscious, dark brown hair was loosely curled around her face.

I closed my eyes, once again, as I flashed back to that night. Her beautiful face hovering over me. Her soft voice asked me if I was okay. Her hand caressed my face, softly. Her elbow grabbed by James, dragging her away.

"Who is that?" I heard my voice ask, barely above a whisper.

I could feel Tanya's eyes concentrated on me, her brows furrowed in confusion, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, the beautiful woman. Her voice was uneasy as she answered, "Her name is Bella, Bella Swan."

When I didn't say anything, my eyes still locked on…Bella, Tanya went on, sounding a little uncomfortable, "She is an actress in the talkies."

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe. Since the first moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the girl for me, my one and only soulmate. I loved her, with every fiber of my being, with every bone in my body, with all of my heart. I knew it from that moment and onward.

Now, if only I could talk to her.

Tanya, still starring at me uneasily, backed away from the bar, her confident smile snatched from her face. "Bye, Edward."

For the rest of the night, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. I spilled a total of nine drinks and dropped four glasses, thirteen more mistakes than I had ever made in my entire bartending career. I couldn't help it, though; she consumed every part of me.

"Evening, Edward."

My head turned, hesitantly, away from Bella, who was sitting at a booth with three men in trench coats and fedoras, to face Jasper, who was standing at the end of the bar with a grin plastered on his face.

I rolled my eyes at him as I headed towards him, grabbing his favorite alcoholic drink on the way. I pulled a glass out from underneath the bar, set it down, and poured the Jack Daniels into the glass.

"Great service," Jasper complimented me with a large smile. "I didn't even have to ask this time." He raised his glass to me and downed it, throwing his head back, quickly.

"She is here tonight," I found myself whispering, my eyes roving across the room to Bella, once again. I bit my lip, nervously, as if I were anticipating a look of acknowledgement from her or more like, hoping for.

Jasper widened his eyes in confusion, then nodded his head as he finally understood. "Oh, your mystery woman? Where?"

"Over there, in the booth." I nodded my head towards her, not letting my eyes leave her flawless face.

Without any hesitation, Jasper's head swiveled in her direction, nodding almost immediately. "That's Bella Swan. She is in the talkies."

I groaned; of course, Jasper would know who she was. His parents were active participants in the film industry; his father was a critically acclaimed director and his mother a beautiful actress. I shook my head at my stupidity.

"She has been to the house a couple of times." Jasper pushed his glass towards me, again, signaling that he wanted more to drink.

I snatched it with my hand, pouring some more Jack Daniels in it, eager to hear more of my mystery woman, my Bella. "What is she like?"

"She's a doll." Jasper nodded before throwing his head back again, causing the Jack to disappear. He pulled his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, his secret compartment for them, and stuck one in his mouth. "Anyone have a lighter?"

"I do," an airy voice sang out.

I smiled as soon as I recognized the voice and held my arms wide open, bracing myself for the hug I knew was coming. "Evening, Alice."

"Evening, Edward," Alice greeted me with a toothy grin, leaping into my arms over the bar. She placed a peck on each of my cheeks. "Miss me?"

"Always do." I chuckled as my hands settled on the bar, restlessly. "So, how was Europe, Alice?"

She gleamed as soon as the word "Europe" slipped out of my mouth. With ease, she hopped onto the bar stool, placing her elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand. I almost regretted asking Alice, but she always listened to me and, well, I _had_ missed her. She was the sister (and psychiatrist) I never had and losing her to Europe for a summer was painful.

"Simply wonderful," she belted out, happily, her smile never leaving her face. She turned to Jasper, lighter in hand, and offered it to him before continuing, "It was ab-so-lute-ly stunning."

"It is gorgeous this time of year," Jasper jumped in, unable to take his eyes off of Alice. He tapped the tip of his cigarette on the bar, anxiously; it was an annoying habit of his when he was nervous and a woman hadn't been the cause of it since our prepubescent days.

Alice eyed him, eyebrow raised. "You've been to Europe?"

"Plenty of times." Jasper took a puff of his cigarette, closing his eyes. He held out a hand to Alice, putting his most charming smile on. "I'm Jasper Whitlock."

"Alice Brandon." She took his hand, firmly, and shook it with a small smile pressed on her face. I couldn't tell whether she approved or disapproved of him, yet. I was sure I would get an earful from her later, either way. "I'm a singer here."

Jasper shrugged, trying to act unimpressed, even though I knew he was anything but. The only women he spent more than one night with were performers or entertainers of sorts. He paused, trying to make his voice nonchalant. "I'm a pilot."

Alice smiled, slyly, as she grabbed a glass of a drink that I had mixed for her. She wanted me to keep her guessing with my drinks and I had risen to the challenge.

"I call that one 'The Alice'", I answered the curious look on her face with a smile.

She raised her glass to me. "Best one yet, Edward."

Jasper watched Alice strut across the room, his jaw dropping to the floor in awe. He was thoroughly transfixed by her; I hadn't seen him drool over a gal since grade school. "What a smarty. Who _was_ that?"

"Alice," I answered, simply, as I started to mix a drink for a man down the bar.

"I know _that_." Jasper rolled his eyes as he started to tap his cigarette tip on the bar, rapidly. "Why haven't you introduced us before?"

I shrugged as I slid the glass down the bar. "I didn't think she was your…type."

"_Woman_ is my type, Edward." Jasper sighed, holding his head in his hand. He played with his glass sitting on the wooden bar, distracted.

"Well, at least, you can _talk_ to her." I sighed as I started to focus on Bella, once again. She was still sitting in a booth, surrounded by men in trench coats. Although she was surrounded by so many people, she looked so sad, so lonely.

"Are the two of you still whining about your lady problems?"

Jasper grimaced as he realized who the voice belonged to. He didn't hold back his surliness when he murmured, unhappily, "Hello, Mrs. Grundy."

"Jasper, Edward." Rosalie nodded her head at both of us in acknowledgment. "Let me guess, Jasper is a little annoyed that Edward didn't introduce him to an attractive, young woman and Edward is a little annoyed that he can't talk to the woman of his dreams. Am I right or am I right?"

"You're right, Rosalie," I replied, blandly, as I leaned underneath the bar to grab a glass for her. She was always a little moody without a drink in her hand.

"Of course, I'm right." Rosalie rolled her eyes as she held her hand open, ready for her drink. "I was listening to your pathetic conversation."

"That's great," Jasper scoffed as he flicked his glass.

"Edward, if you want Bella, you have to go get her," Rosalie advised me as she took a sip of her drink. She slipped her hand in Jasper's pocket, snatching his box of cigarettes from him without asking, and deftly grabbed one with her middle and forefinger. "Trust me."

"You are the last person Edward would trust, Rosalie," Jasper snapped, suddenly in a terrible mood. He swiftly stepped down from the barstool and began to storm towards the door when he shouldered a man in a trench coat and fedora. He quickly turned to apologize to the man when he was punched square in the nose.

Before I could react, Jasper was lying on the floor with the man on top of him, punching his face, repeatedly. My eyes widened as I started to remember the night I was attacked by James and his hunchmen. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists.

I awoke from my trance when I heard a soft, delicate voice screaming, "Stop it, Emmett! Stop!"

I opened my eyes to see Bella standing in front of the bar, trying to pull the man off of Jasper. She grabbed onto his punching arm, now stained red with blood, and held on, trying to stop him. The man, more than twice her size, shook her off of his arm, throwing her into a table near the bar.

Without any hesitation, I jumped over the bar and tackled the man. As soon as I found myself on top of him, wrestling to stay there, I screamed to Rosalie, "Get Jasper outside! Go!"

Rosalie nodded, her face mortified, and started to drag Jasper's unconscious body towards the entrance.

"Get off me!" the man shouted, shoving me off with the slightest push of his hands. Once I flew back into the bar, the man stood up, brushed himself off, and walked away, snarling at me.

I closed my eyes, unable to breathe. With every breath I took, my body ached more and more. I touched my chest, gently, surprised when I felt a warm liquid seeping through my clothing. My heart stopped as I slowly lowered my head to see that the palm of my hand was filled with blood and lots of it.

"Are you okay?" an angelic voice asked me. I heard footsteps hurrying to my side and felt a delicate hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to see Bella, standing beside me, a worried look crossing her stunning face. She held my face in her hand, causing me to stare directly into her deep, dark brown eyes. I couldn't help but lose myself in her eyes.

"I told you to stay away from her!" I heard a fuming voice scream from behind me. I watched as Bella looked past me at the screaming person, her face frozen in fear. I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest when I slowly swiveled around to see an irate James, wielding a gun, with several men behind him.

My eyes widened as I took in the gun and the fact that it was pointed directly at Bella, who hadn't moved once since her eyes locked onto James' figure. Instantaneously, I stepped in front of her, blocking her from the bullet that I knew was to come. I closed my eyes, waiting to hear the shot that would signal it.

"How sweet," James spat. I could feel his eyes roving up and down my body. "Now, you can watch him die."

I bit my lip as soon as I heard the gunshot and braced myself for the pain. I didn't feel anything at all as I fell involuntarily to the floor. I felt my breathing slow, tremendously, in and out, in and out. I hadn't realized that I was actually going to die until I tasted my own blood in my mouth.

I could feel Bella kneel on the floor next to me and cradle my head in her arms. She brushed my hair with her fingers, gently, a loving smile on her face. She was beautiful, more beautiful than anything I had ever seen or imagined.

I couldn't help but smile, in spite of the situation. I was dying in my Bella's arms. This moment was all that I could ask for; every event in my life had led up to it and nothing, not even the fact that I was dying, could take away from it.

"I…I love you," I whispered as I reached out to touch her face. She was everything I loved, everything I wanted, everything.

Bella was opening her mouth to respond to me when everything started to look blurry. And then, everything went black.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Bella," I managed to croak, my throat burning. I licked my cracked, dry lips before trying again, "Bella."

Slowly, I opened my eyes to see a bright, white room and two people hovering over me. One was a tall, arrogant man who introduced himself as Doctor White and the other was a motherly, caring nurse who patted my hand, sympathetically, before she left.

I closed my eyes as I let my head rest against the lumpy, hospital pillow.

"It was a dream," I heard Bella's voice whisper as she touched my face, gently, with the back of her hand. "Just a dream."

I smiled, opening my eyes. It was just a dream, but it was my dream. _She_ was my dream.


End file.
